Harry Potter and the Goblin Entreaty
by profdragon
Summary: Things have been quiet since the war ended, if not going quite to plan. One of the things hanging over Harry's head is how to get back in the good graces of the goblins after his break-in and break-out. Not to worry, the goblins have a plan to balance things again. Or is it, panic, because the goblins have a plan? (Harry, and a litany of others).
1. Chapter 1 - Request

'I sincerely believe that bankingestablishments are more dangerous than standing armies…'

~ Thomas Jefferson

When you are deep underground, you can often tell; you feel it, sense it, the weight of the world above and around you, only something unseen keeping the earth from crushing down on you from all sides. Harry could feel that weight even through the excellent wards of the goblins of Gringott's London. He was beginning to think Hermione was right, that his coming here was a bad mistake. On the other hand, the wording of the invitation, both Hermione and Bill had confirmed, implied Harry would be allowed to walk back out alive. Nothing promised he would be in the same condition that he entered though.

_How mad does massive structural damage, loss of a dragon, loss of a perfect record, and destruction of reputation make a goblin_?, he wondered. Then he quailed when he thought about how mad just one Quidditch loss made him. He shuffled his feet as he thought about leaving now before the meeting began.

Too late.

Contrary to popular opinion, the office of the manager of Gringott's was not on the surface. This office was meant to be the home playing field, to give advantage to the goblin. The feel of the weight of the room, so deep underground, was just one part. The ornate desk, slightly lowered guest chair, trappings of gold everywhere, the perfect mosaics outlining goblin victories in all their bloody detail - all helped to define power being on one side of the room, and all of it the goblin's. To Harry, it carried the weight of Dumbledore's office combined with Professor McGonagall's disapproval combined with Snape's sneer all wrapped into one.

A crack in the back wall suddenly appeared, which then turned into a door which then opened. That wall had been spotless, without seam before. _The goblins truly work magic in stone_, thought Harry. And then his focus shifted to the elderly goblin walking in, surrounded by a small phalanx of guards who spread out behind him. While the all moved smartly to set positions, the elder goblin shuffled slowly to his seat. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored robe which was clearly threaded with pure gold. Maybe the goblin wasn't so old after all, that had to weigh a lot!

When the goblin had been seated with his guards standing implacably behind him, he crossed his hands, his claws standing out clearly. Sharp, discerning, smoldering eyes peered down at Harry over bifocal lenses. Without hesitation, the goblin got to business.

"I am Ragnok, the manager of Gringott's London. Welcome, Mr. Potter." The goblin's teeth flashed brightly in the torchlight.

Harry stammered, but managed, "Th-thank you for your invitation, Manager Ragnok."

The goblin's ears flapped as he shook his head in a short but abrupt movement. "Please, just Ragnok. I don't suppose you'd care to try to guess why you are here?"

Harry had to bite his tongue to avoid blurting out 'because you told me to be' or 'because I walked in.' No good could come of channeling Gred and Forge in this situation. Instead, he settled for, "Not exactly, although I suspect it would have something to do with my actions last time I visited."

Ragnok nodded, his ears which no long stood up straight, but had begun to bend ever so slightly, making a soft noise as he did. "That would be reasonable. And it is, in a way, though likely not in the way you'd expect."

Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Harry asked, "And how would you describe it, Ma…Ragnok?"

The goblin stared at Harry for long moments, as if judging, weighing. "You seem uncomfortable, Mr. Potter. Are you well?"

Hermione's long lectures on how to treat goblins came back. Never show weakness. Never get engaged in a staring contest, but if you do, for heaven's sake don't lose. Don't ever lie. You can be crafty, sneaky, skirt the truth even, but it is far better to be frank and even brutally straightforward than to lie...Harry was so focused on trying to think through this he almost missed the following question, one which shocked him.

As he continued his musings, Ragnok tilted his head and asked, "Are you under the impression that we are mad at you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry didn't consider himself an expert on goblin behavior, but the question came out far too smooth and flat, with no tone, for him to trust it. No, this was one pissed goblin.

However, Harry couldn't find it in himself to lie or even skirt the truth, although he quickly defeated the desire to roll his eyes. Ever since defeating Voldemort, he'd had much less patience for dancing around topics. That is why'd he'd marched right to Ginny and apologized for leaving her, why he'd told her less than a week later it wasn't working, and why he'd told Mrs. Weasley he was moving to Grimmauld no matter what anyone thought.

So he simply nodded, and said, "Well, yeah, Ragnok, I suspect so given I broke into a vault, released a dragon…"

"Did you now? Hmm…" came the response, pausing when the elderly goblin groaned appreciatively as a drink was delivered. He sipped something that smoked and bubbled in its mug. Harry was very glad there was a ward that seemed to keep the smell on the goblin's side of the room. While the ward likely was there to prevent any kind of attack, it was helpful now.

Harry shrugged. "You know this. It makes little sense to deny it."

Setting his mug down, the older goblin settled himself back in his chair. "No, no, Mr. Potter I am afraid you don't understand. I have gone over the investigation. I know how you did it, why you did it, and I know why you handled it the way you did. I may not like it, but I can appreciate it. We goblins have no love for human's dark magic any more than you do and can understand a warrior willing to risk all to do what he must. On the other hand, we deal harshly with idiots."

Harry gulped.

"Our analysis confirmed you were the former. You knew walking in here what the cost could be. If you had just done it on a whim, well…" The goblin ran a thumb along his throat causing Harry to force himself to stay still. He added, "And you did your best to keep damage to a minimum, all things considered. That we can understand.

Harry focused on the thing that troubled him the most, among the layers of concerns he had. "My friends were only following orders…"

The goblin raised his bushy eyebrows. "Oh? You order your friends about?"

Harry stared at the goblin more closely; he could swear the goblin's lips had crinkled upward. A…joke?

The goblin waved this off with his hands. "No matter, no matter. Yes, I'd heard you would make a good leader among goblins, even if you despise human politics. Luckily, we don't want or need a human politician. Spoken like a true warrior watching out for his troops."

Harry had to admit he was getting curious now. Hermione had sworn that if Ragnok got involved it would be over in thirty seconds one way or another. Why was someone as important as Ragnok spending this much time with him?

The goblin chuckled as he stood and motioned Harry to do the same and to come forward. Harry did so until he was just inches from the ward, although the goblin clearly wanted him to come closer.

"Something amiss, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. "You should call me Harry if you want me to keep calling you Ragnok, and yes, I'm not sure what this ward of yours here does." He finished waving his hand just inches from the shield.

The goblin cackled, this time in clear delight, laughing, although it took Harry long moments to realize the sound for what it was.

Ragnok clapped his hands in delight. "Oh, yes, I have the right human. I swear this is going to be the start of a wonderful friendship, Mr. Po…Harry. No, back to your concern, Harry, your friends are insignificant and irrelevant to us at the moment, although depending on our conversation that may change."

Harry stared at the goblin, who was now looking back placidly and giving nothing away. The goblin seemed delighted when Harry let the silence draw out, refusing to ask for more information. That was just as well to Harry, who had the sense that one wrong word and Ron and Hermione would be on the chopping block with him.

After several moments, the goblin nodded briefly, a short jerking almost violent motion that made it older jowls wobble. "No, Mr. Potter, we don't want to punish your friends, or even you. Yes, I am afraid your actions count as an act of war in certain minds. Ignore that side for now; I can and will control that. Consider it shelved, to be forgotten completely when we have done more damage control."

The goblin started pacing, then finally shooed his reluctant guards out. "Harry," he said when they were alone, "this ward between us that you sensed is meant to be imperceptible. A protection that lures those with bad intentions to their own doom. And yet you pick it up as if it is nothing." It was clear the goblin wanted to know how he did it, and his eyes didn't leave Harry as he sat back down.

Harry sat back down heavily. "It's just something I picked up from Dumbledore, really, a feeling of magic when it is around. I mean, I know you have actual warders and those who can do things I can't imagine. Maybe they could explain. I don't understand it or the theory, I just sense it."

Ragnok now sat down too. "I do. And yes, you are young and unlearned, and that is why the other bank branches mock us. Not just that there was a break-in, which would be bad enough. No, we are the butt of humor for letting someone so untrained in and out and causing such damage. Of course, your power and ability to shift on the fly is such that your knowledge deficiencies rarely matter. And even as they mock us, don't think I haven't noticed them scramble to make their own improvements. Make a mockery of me and my bank, when they'd have done no better!"

He slammed his claws on the desk and launched into a pace again, pausing only to wave his nervous guards back out the door after they reacted to the loud sound. "Harry, Voldemort was an anathema to us all. All well and good he is dead. I can wish you had handled this some other way, but with Dumbledore gone, the little contact you have ever had with us, and the blasted Binns' lectures about goblin wars and nothing else, why, I am forced to understand why you acted as you did."

Harry nodded gratefully, noticing his back was now sopping wet from nervous sweat.

"And yet, Harry, I cannot let this affront stand. No, no, not yours," he hastened as Harry twitched nervously. "Theirs. The other goblins and their banks. I need them to suffer a worse loss than we ever did. No, I don't need a politician, Harry, I need a magician of power with an ability to think on their feet. You are quite remarkable in this sense. I don't want to punish you. I want to hire you."

Harry stammered. "T-to hire me?"

The goblin's pointed teeth shone ferociously. "Oh, yes, I do want to hire you Harry, very badly. To let every other bank learn never to mess with me again. I want to send a message, to give a lesson that will never be forgotten. I want to hit them so hard their teeth shake at the very thought of you or me. I cannot start a goblin war, but I may hire an emissary to act on my behalf."

"A war?"

The goblin waved this off as irrelevant. "Semantics. Not a real war."

Harry nodded. That wouldn't be so bad. "And this would wipe out my debt to you?"

The goblin's ears flapped. "Oh yes, and we will pay you and you may keep your winnings."

That was confusing. "My winnings?"

The goblin chuckled evilly. "My dear human, isn't it clear yet? I want to hire you to rob each and every single branch of Gringotts for me."


	2. Chapter 2 - Debrief

Chapter 2

Harry stumbled out of Gringotts without noticing his surroundings. He couldn't have told you if a phoenix had flashed under his nose. The rest of the conversation kept replaying in his head. The old goblin had bent in half cackling at the shocked look on Harry's face, only slowly regaining the ability to speak.

"My apologies. Best laugh I'd had in years. Simply put, we want to hire you to attack at least one bank a year, Mr. Potter. Your goal is to deprive each bank of as much of their capital as you can. And apologies, I meant the voting block banks, which is something you may not be aware of, not all the branches. Not worth it to hit every little podunk shopfront. But the other eight on the executive leadership board, Gringott's Zurich, Cairo, Paris, Tokyo, Boston, Moscow, Delhi, Beijing, and Buenos Aires, they all get whacked. No human we have ever seen has proven as determined and as successful in depriving others of what they want. You are a cooler, someone who shuts down someone else's good fortune, but with unparalleled power.

"I'm not sure…" Harry genuflected.

"Please no artificial modesty, Mr. Potter. Consider, Voldemort had the power you did, if not more, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry nodded. The evil self-styled lord had not lacked for power or imagination. Which led to his weakness, of course, a lack of understanding and subtlety. And, he suddenly realized, Ragnok was implying the same was true of the goblins.

Ragnok bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Thank you. Had Voldemort tried to take on our banks, I doubt he could have managed much effect. We are prepared for his tactics. Straight power and bullying isn't enough. Dumbledore couldn't have done it; for all his politicking, the man couldn't have or wouldn't have risked such a black mark on his record. You, though, risked it all. You saw what needed to be done and attacked. Tell me," said the goblin dryly, seeing Harry about to argue, "do you think Dumbledore didn't know there was a Horcrux here, or in his own school? Of course he did. But he was playing too many parts, making it easy to escape his immediate focus. He believed himself so important he couldn't take risks on any one part, and when he did, well, he was no longer in training and it cost his hand, and ultimately his life. What we are paying for, what we propose to pay for, is your exclusive focus on us. Now, when you are at the height of your senses, and coming into your greatest power."

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed them for a moment, thinking. "Let me see if I have the right of it. You want me to spend all my time - have my only job to be - to break into Gringotts? One after another."

"But become a robber?" Harry mused, thinking through the costs. The Dursley's may not have been the best parent figures allowing Harry hunting and other general abusive behaviors, but they had inculcated that stealing was wrong. At least for Harry. Exposure to Hermione had furthered the enculturation of that value. Harry knew at his core, while he got in trouble, he WANTED to be a good person at least.

"Harry," said the goblin silkily, far too smoothly and with far too many teeth. "Surely you have already demonstrated that robbery can be worthwhile, necessary even?"

Harry nodded, brows furrowed as he thought. That was true, but to BE a robber, for that to be what you were known for, what you identified yourself as, rather tha necessary action.

Ragnok inserted into Harry's thought again. "Well, then, just view this as necessary, if it helps." The goblin waved his hand in a sweeping gesture, magnanimous almost. But with it, the guards behind them lowered their spears and crouched, ready in attack stances.

Harry's fingers twitched, but his instincts saved him. Drawing a wand in Ragnok's presence would mean death. He looked at them both and then back at the bank head. The goblin's eyes were searing, his glare boring through Harry now. "I want this like you wanted and needed that Horcrux, Harry! This HAS to happen to correct things! You understand honor? Well honor demands this! I understand your human tendency. We've seen it enough. But engage your inner warrior! Honor! We need our honor redeemed, and we have chosen the person who damaged our honor to be the one to redeem it! Too few humans understand the NEED to do what is not in their norm. You do! And this is the recompense for that, the cost if you will."

Harry nodded. He'd come in prepared to pay whatever cost, and so far his only request which was to leave Ron and Hermione out of it, seemed to be unnecessary, although he was reticent to mention them in case it stirred more 'costs'. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Watching his musings, the old goblin flipped his wrist and the guards went back to parade rest. "Let me guess, Harry. You are worried about how you will be viewed?" The young man's words had been telling.

Harry nodded. "But it is also a question of deciding who I am. It may sound silly, sir, Ragnok," he hastened as the goblin prepared to correct him, "but I am trying to decide who I am. I've always had this target, and it seems what I choose next is going to be the first thing I've been able to choose in some time."

"And now you either don't get a choice, or a choice you are forced into against your own values?" asked Ragnok shrewdly.

"Well, yes," said Harry as he thought it through, almost in surprise.

"If it helps, I suggest you think of this as one more thing he remnant of the war left. Or, as the start of a new career. I am told you know Bill Weasley, and I've even been told many think his career is 'cool' I believe is the term. You know what he does?" When Harry nodded, the goblin continued, "Essentially, a robber."

That paused Harry. It was true, when he changed the way he thought about it. Given, those being robbed were dead and gone, but still…

The goblin nodded, his ears flapping softly. "So that is the stick, if you will, Harry. I will push you and make things difficult until you concur. We will not damage you, as you have been chosen for this. You as our envoy will send just the right message to earn our honor back. And in a way that makes sure they suffer spectacularly, to make what you did to us look like amateur hour." His voice practically purred in delight at the thought, and he rubbed his hands together, nails making sharp rasping noises as he did. "It takes patience, planning, finding a weakness and exploiting it. We want you to use those skills to help us move our banks into the next century. Every time you succeed, you tell me, and only me, how you did it and warn me before. London will learn every element of the best of all the other banks, as well as benefitting from their instability. Our own misfortune will fade as newer ones arise. And it won't work if you aren't giving us your best. You MUST beat each bank. And once you defeat one, the others will become more and more frantic, something that will make it harder at first but then easier as they get so panicked they make mistakes. But for all of those concerns, that is why we are prepared to pay you handsomely."

"As I said, that is the stick. Now, for the carrot." The goblin slid a sheet of parchment across the desk; it flickered as it crossed the ward protecting the other side of the office. Idly, Harry realized he was starting to catalogue how the ward acted so he could research how to beat it. He could feel the testing of the paper by the wards, the detection, the categorization of it. Almost sentient, which meant it could be tricked more easily than a blunt, less sophisticated one. Bill would know the next step from there.

Those thoughts, though, flew from his head when he looked at the piece of paper. It outlined just how much he would receive each year, a bonus for each time he beat a bank, with escalators depending on how much he reduced the bank's net worth, thereby increasing Gringott's own value. His mouth gaped open and he slowly looked up to Ragnok. Even Malfoy would have been impressed by the number of zeroes.

"That's per bank Harry. But…" he added as Harry's eyes somehow grew bigger, "that is also all your expenditures including any help you bring in. I don't want to sickle and knut this to death. If you can steal more cheaply, you make more money. And I expect you to take at least that much out of their hide when you hit them. Anything less and I will be…disappointed. Each person you decide to include must be brought to me directly to be sworn into secrecy and vow to never steal from Gringotts London or any other Gringotts outside of the purview of this specific set of tasks I have set out. Those you ask but opt out must swear to you their secrecy. Again, each heist will be run by me before you undertake them."

Seeing Harry's hesitation, he added, "And only me; I will not tell of your attempts but I must know when they happen so I can intervene if you do get caught at least try to keep you from getting killed. Make no mistake, your salary includes hazard pay. There is no death insurance in this type of work. That is all part of why the figure is that big."

Blinking, Harry looked up to see he was standing at the door to Grimmauld. He had no idea how long he'd been there or even which route he'd taken. But he knew he needed to assemble some friends for an interesting conversation. He walked in and prepared for the long floo trip.

##

"They want you to do WHAT?" Hermione shrieked as she paced frantically around the living room at Shell Cottage with her arms punctuating her words, her hair almost sparking with energy. "Once was bad enough! We barely got out alive from that one, and you want to do nine more? When they will know they are coming? The other banks have all prepared. They will be even more so after a second, then third, then fourth robbery. They have Thieves' Downfalls, lethifold traps, dragons, sphinx…are you smiling at me, mister?" She eyed Harry's attempt to freeze his face.

"And yet, you didn't think of the problem of being a robber on principle?" asked Harry, eyebrows rising as he patted the arms on his chair. "That was MY first concern. Well, second, after all my friends. And Teddy."

THAT had been some talk. Andromeda had argued and even ranted after a good silencing charm, but Harry was adamant about not having to walk through life looking over his shoulder. It was the same reason he'd helped track down remaining Death Eaters after the final battle. Finally, Andromeda had assured him they would be FINE without him, and then given him the silent treatment. Finally giving up, Harry had turned to leave when he was pulled into a fierce hug. "Come back to us! Every time, you come back each and every time!"

Harry hadn't even tried for a quick retort but had just assured her that he would.

Hermione sputtered as Harry smiled. Well, she didn't need to know what order they were in. He loved his friend dearly, but if he didn't slow her down, her diatribe could go awhile. And nobody would like that; even if the room had been expanded by Bill's clever rune structure, being in close quarters too long with a large group could become stifling.

Ron grabbed her by the waist and pulled Hermione onto his lap. He gave her a quick kiss and then said, "It does sound crazy, mate. Why do it?"

"Are you kidding?" asked George. "This sounds like loads of fun! Best thing I've heard about in ages! A professional burglar?"

Ginny muttered, "Yeah, well who has a death wish since Fred died?" but thankfully George didn't hear her.

Bill quieted them all down. His hands were steepled in front of him, and Harry could tell the oldest of the Weasley children had picked up a lot of his mannerisms from his time with the goblins. He leaned forward in his seat on the couch. "Now let me see here, Harry. We can all help plan, and anyone here outside of Fleur and me could actually help. We are out, though, as we have formal ties to the bank. Best not bring oaths into the situation"

"True enough," said Harry, nodding with a tip of his glass. "But I won't want most of you in any actual hands on capacity."

This drew several protestations, Hermione's was the loudest. "You aren't actually consider…wait a minute! What, aren't we good enough?" asked Hermione, changing gears midstream as she became offended for a completely different reason. "May I remind you…"

Harry cut her off before she could get started. "All of you have regular jobs, families, obligations. I don't, and I know some others who could and would help. I already have in mind some of the attacks and just who I need for each. And I will need you all, just not always for the actual assault itself. What I need from all of you most, right now anyway, is plans. Bill, I want your help on Gringotts…"

"Egypt?" he said with a knowing smile.

"Nope," said Harry, laughing when the curse breaker frowned in confusion. "They just might expect that. I want you on Paris. You both know it well, but they don't know you two as well, not as employees anyway."

Bill looked at Fleur who was rubbing her swollen, pregnant belly, the reason the rest of them had all traveled to France instead of the married couple coming to London. She nodded happily back. The two were both fond of Harry. Fleur said happily, in practically perfect English now, "We will have an awesome plan for you, Harry. Is Paris first?"

Harry shrugged. "Depends on how you define it. I already have a long term plan in effect for Gringotts Switzerland. Don't ask," he waved down their questions, and hurried on to keep their focus off it, "…but this could well be the first hands-on project yes. How long do you think the Paris plan would take you?"

Bill and Fleur had a quick whispered conversation with flying hands and a fist smacking a palm, and Fleur finally saying, "You WILL be home on paternity leave in a month, so help me!"

Bill gave her a soft kiss, nodding, and then turned to the group. "Well if Paris is first, I will wrap up work and be home with my lovely wife and soon-to-be new daughter. While sleep deprived, and thus insanely but simultaneously grumpy and happy, I will come up with exorbitant curses for you to use."

Harry grimaced in sympathetic approval. There was nothing quite like a sleep deprived and grumpy Weasley. Bill continued, working out the plan as he spoke, "Give me one month for the plan, a month for you to get your team together based on it and to get Ragnok's approval, two more months for us to practice it with you…" He looked at Fleur again and gave her a soft kiss.

"In the Room of Requirement," said Harry getting some surprised looks. He was fascinated how often people could forget how good that Room was. McGonagall would let him use it, he was sure.

"So Paris will be second then," he added softly, shifting his plan as he looked at them fondly. Just a few years ago such a display would have made him uncomfortable. And now, despite the lack of many such moments of his own, he was delighted his friends were so happy. Their easy bliss together as something that looked so comfortable and reassuring that Harry thought would be wonderful to find someday, but perhaps not while this challenge was over his head. No need to complicate things.

"Which one is ours?" asked Ron, hugging Hermione to him again. She had a notebook out taking notes.

_Here it goes_, thought Harry to himself. "Well, Ron, I wanted to ask you to plan Boston for me. You were there for your honeymoon. Hermione, I'm going to have to ask you to officially stay out this time around."

Hermione's glare was as glacial as the silence from the others was deafening. She said only one word as a tear started in one eye. "Why?"

Harry got up and walked over to give his best friend a hug. He whispered in her ear so only she could hear. "Because I don't think this is the type of thing the future Minister of Magic should have on her record." When Hermione started to protest that she didn't care, he added, "Particularly when negotiating with and for goblin rights."

With that, Hermione's tears started to fall in earnest. She gave him a huge bear hug and whispered back, "Nothing better happen to any of you or I'll lock you up in a safe place forever once I am." She stood and walked out, before she leaned back in through the door. "Oh, and Harry? I'll decorate it like Madame Puddifoot's at Valentine's with a singing dwarf valentine personally to you from a different fan girl every day," she threatened. At his incredulous look, she bounced back out of the room, laughing. While everyone had missed the first part of her threat, the second made them all laugh.

"Make it a good plan, Ron, or else couch for a year," she said as she poked her head back through the door one more time and then left again. Ron just stared after her, dumbfounded. He then shook his head, turned to look at Harry with something like astonishment.

"How do you do it, Potter?" asked George, voicing the question in Ron's eyes. He shook his head and gave a slow clap.

Harry ignored this. He was just glad Ron was now comfortable enough with Harry and Hermione's closeness to not get angry every time they hugged or had quick whispered conversations. "Just like chess Ron. Identify the king and its weak spots. Find the queen and how to draw her out. You're always good with your pawns; they seem so innocuous but they are deadly. After Boston, I'm going to need to sit with you to think about their response patterns and what you see, because by then they will start shifting in response. I'll need you to stay ahead of them after that point, so…"

Ron's eyes glazed and his hands moved as he thought, as if he was moving the chess pieces in his mind. "So I don't just need to beat Boston, I need to start setting up feints and teases with Boston. Know who watches Boston, who will follow or do the opposite just to spite them…"

"To tease out the queen," agreed Harry. "Ending with Beijing and Tokyo. They're last. George, you're with Ron."

"Would it ruin your fun too much if I worked on the explosive taffy Fred and I had? Set if off and make them all watch as we walk right by them?" asked George. He plopped down next to Ron in the spot Hermione had left open.

Ron said. "We can work it in. Need to make sure they don't know who we are."

"Muggle disguises then. Goblins think they can solve every wizard problem with their own magic," tossed back George.

Ron looked up at Harry quickly. "Mate, you're killing me making me wait for third. I can already see…" he started mumbling calculations. His eyes were afire as he pulled out a notebook and starting writing as fast as his hands could go, adding small maps of the layout as he remembered it. George leaned over it and started mumbling ideas which Ron nodded to, adding them to his sheet. Harry was sure Ron would be over to borrow Dumbledore's old pensieve later to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

"Maybe later than that," said Harry to the others, knowing Ron wouldn't hear anything unless Harry worked very hard to get his attention back. "I'm going to have another team on some other ones, so we don't get too predictable to the goblins."

"Amen to that," said Ginny from where her head rested on her girlfriend's shoulder. "What about us, Harry?"

Harry debated for a second and then answered honestly. "I am still debating. I think Luna is the perfect counter to Tokyo but I think you could take down Buenos Aires. Could the two of you manage those together, or would it be better for you each to take sole lead of one or the other so nothing bleeds from one to the other?"

Luna looked up from combing Ginny's hair. "I don't know. Tokyo doesn't have any nargles or anything Harry," she said sadly.

Harry agreed mournfully. "I know, and I think it's a shame. I want you to give them some. And any other creatures they are missing."

Luna clapped her hands happily, bouncing up and down, causing Ginny to frown at Harry who just shrugged and smiled back.

"And just why do you think Buenos Aires for me?" she asked idly. Far too calmly.

Harry was determined to head that attitude off as soon as possible. "C'mon Ginny. You've been there with the Harpies, so you know it. The bank even sponsored some of your trip so you know the people and goblins there. And you know the culture."

"Well, so long as you acknowledge the skills," she agreed happily. "I thought you were going to go with some macho stereotype about the country."

Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I haven't been there to say one way or the other. I just know you would. Besides, if the rumors are true, each of you would cause a stir in your own right."

The two girls beamed before they turned and looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to Harry, somehow agreeing on their plan through a series of eye gestures, shrugs, and at one point a stare down followed by deep sighing.

"Okay," said Ginny finally, "We'll work together, but take the lead of one or the other respectively."

"Good," replied Harry. "Remember, none of you are alone. The plans will go through all of us to get feedback and testing. Each of us taking lead helps give it a different flair every time. Nothing starts unless I okay it, and go through Ragnok. And I'm the feet on the ground unless we all plan otherwise."

"Who's your other team?" asked Luna with wide eyes.

"That would be telling…" said Harry as he headed out, taking time to enjoy walking down the sand beach and visiting Dobby, as he always did.


	3. Chapter 3 - Zurich

Chapter 3 – Zurich

Chapter 3 – Zurich

Harry sat in Grimmauld, sipping softly on his drink. It steamed pleasantly, something he'd come to enjoy in the evenings, a little relaxation. He had music playing softly in the background. Perhaps not everyone's favorite, but he'd found he quite enjoyed classical music. One of this favorites was playing now, the Brandenburg Concertos; he could work or read without it distracting him but still have some sound in the house. It felt too empty without it. He snorted softly when he realized his next guest was the reason he'd learned to like both the drink and the music. Who'd have thought?

He kicked his feet up as the chair adjusted with him. He'd bought an entire new set of leather furniture, and made sure it included a recliner. Wizard's just needed to catch up with the times on some things! He had snuck into Uncle Vernon's a few times when he knew it was safe, and it was a wonder after a day of yardwork. Now he had one with a view of both the fire and out into the small garden Neville had redesigned and planted in the back. Harry had vetoed the _mimbulus_ but other than that had given his friend free rein, allowing Neville to mix in some of the things he'd wanted to try that just wouldn't work in his main gardens. After he left, Harry had Bill over to ward the walkways, just to be safe. Neville had a little too much in common with Hagrid sometimes.

He looked back to the clock. Just on time, there was a ping which echoed through the house, indicating an incoming floo arrival.

"Kreacher?"

"Already there, Master."

Harry was amazed Kreacher was still alive; he would have bet good money that Kreacher wouldn't have lasted two years after the Battle of Hogwarts, but he seemed to have gotten healthier and healthier ever since the destruction of Regulus' horcux, as Kreacher called it. Not that Kreacher would ever be confused as young, but once again he was sharp and powerful enough that he kept the house managed properly. He'd gotten rid of every damned article, every scrap of dark magic was gone. While Kreacher had moaned, Harry had tried to mediate his suffering by letting him keep everything that wasn't dark, and Kreacher seemed to get stronger and stronger as a result.

As Harry was musing, Kreacher popped back in next to him. "It is your expected guest, but he has brought…a pair of companions." He paused, awaiting Harry's pleasure.

Arching an eyebrow, Harry thought aloud. "Interesting. I wonder who he…I mean, one of them is obvious, but the other? Well, well, show them in, provided you sense nothing dangerous."

Kreacher arched an eyebrow back at Harry, an affectation he had picked up from his new master. "If I had, I would have enacted Operation Moher."

Harry chuckled as the elf gave a shallow bow with a slight smirk, pleased he had made Harry laugh. Their plan for any hostile entrant was a quick pop over to a particularly well-hidden and warded sea cave on the far side of Ireland. Too far for an elf's power, and too far for any wizard to just apparate back from, but a simple portkey Harry kept ready for the elf took care of that problem. Harry stood and walked over to the fireplace and gave it a quick poke; he loved watched the sparks and flames.

An overly nasal and snobby voice called out from behind him, "Gods, Potter, why do you stay in this place? It's like a peasant home that once used to have some aspiration of grandeur at least."

Harry stood and turned to face his old nemesis with a stunned look, even as he took in the members of the small group. Interesting. "How do you manage to still make that precise tone?"

"Genetics and practice, Potter," came the bored, superior drawl to perfection. Malfoy's soft smile, though, changed the image of what many who'd only known Draco in school would have pictured. Harry had been surprised to find out just how much he enjoyed Draco's sense of humor once he'd figured it out. Of course, he wore superlative robes, cut in dark blue which matched the accent colors on his wife's robes. "You have enough money to buy a small estate in the country by now, and if you keep listening to me, you'll have enough to buy one half the size of Malfoy manor within a few years."

Harry replied, "And by then, you'll be…?"

"Able to buy Malfoy manor back, obviously" came the easy reply. Somehow he made the last part sound like a Snape delivery of the word 'dunderhead'. The uncanny way Draco could spin words no longer hurt when it reminded Harry of Snape's sacrifices. Now, he just marveled that Draco could pull it off. He made a mental note to work on his Dumbledore impression.

Harry's easy smile turned into a frown, though, as Draco's words hit. "Of course, you shouldn't even need to do that, Malfoy. I'm sorry I couldn't stop that movement after all your mother did for me." Harry walked over and shook Malfoy's hand warmly, taking in his companions as he did so.

With a quick flourish, he gave Astoria a quick kiss on her hand and then a warm hug. "Good to see you Astoria, indeed, I would have been surprised if you hadn't been here today."

"Wouldn't miss it," she answered brightly before stepping back, with a soft swish of her elegant green travel robes, to stand beside Draco so Harry could greet the third of their party.

"And Daphne," he said, giving a far more formal greeting, "a pleasant surprise."

Astoria's older sister wore a jaunty red robe with black trim at the wrists and accentuating her tapered waist. She stared at him, as if sizing him up compared to what she had heard and finding him lacking. She seemed generally unimpressed all around as she surveyed the room, and him. In a disinterested voice, she said, "Not sure it is worth my while, Potter."

Unfazed, Harry said easily as he waved them all to seats, "Oh, surely we can drop the last names. We aren't in school anymore."

She motioned toward Draco. "You and Malfoy do not."

Draco chuckled as he happily sat with his arm lightly around Astoria's waist. She smiled at the two men. Working through the knots of distrust had been painful all around, and she had been there for the whole ride. Draco smiled softly back at her and took her hand before looking back up. Astoria beamed; Draco was staring to show his affections more openly. "That is almost a game, so we don't slip up when others see us. No one else knows we buried the hatchet a long time ago, except the goblins who won't tell anyone unless there is something in it for them."

Harry nodded. "And it is advantageous to keep it that way. We are in business in plenty of areas now where we can play our public interests against one another."

"You see," continued Draco as he took a seat next to his bride, "while the laws after the war confiscated much of the Malfoy holdings, only one person was really trying to help my family. All the old friends, both mine and my father's, disappeared or kept their distance, worrying about image. One side because we were too 'dark' and the other because we were moving too close to the 'light'. Only Potter here, true to form, still didn't care what people thought. He pushed for us, and when that failed, he approached me about helping him with his portfolio."

Harry chuckled as Kreacher served drinks around the room. He raised a quick toast to the group. "Turns out I couldn't really go the goblins and get their opinions on how to make my money work when I stole a dragon and blew through and out the top of their most prestigious bank. Funny that. But while I couldn't go to Gringott's without risk, they didn't quite dare close my assets to an account manager. I wouldn't trust Ron or Hermione there, and I wouldn't put any Weasley in that position with Bill's spot on the line. Besides, not one of them has any of the money sense Malfoy has. So, I turned flooed him, and he's the one who explained why the goblins would work with him and risked going into Gringotts on my behalf. Well, I had offered him a job but with what he managed, I offered him a percentage of the earnings."

Draco waved him down, countering Harry's version of the story. "Potter offered me a big chunk of galleons to help me get started, and a percentage before I ever went in, but he did up it when I came out. Why must you change that every time?" he questioned Harry, but continued fast enough it was clear he didn't expect a response. "He did give my mom a nice nest egg of her own, which is why she is living in the Loire Valley now."

Harry laughed, "And Malfoy decided he'd be better off with a one percentage point more of the profits than the nest egg. And was he ever right!"

"And thus," they said together as they clinked their glasses together, "was a beautiful friendship formed."

"Plus, it is good fun to see our friends get riled up when the other one of us shows up," admitted Draco.

"Why, though, Harry?" asked Daphne, with a slight downturn of her lips and just the smallest crease in her brow as she thought. "Why do it for someone who'd treated you so poorly? Sorry, Draco, but it's true."

Draco acknowledged her point. "It is true. But Harry reminded me of the Muggle lessons after World War I and II."

Harry nodded. He took a deep sip of his drink, and then stood and walked to the fireplace, where he poked it again thinking before he spoke. "I never really thought about after the war, you know? I still am not sure of my real role. People plan their futures but I could never see past Voldemort. And now, I've been trying to find my feet for years. Helping Malfoy gave me a focus. But that was over an I still wasn't clear on what to do. Then seeing him with Astoria, Ron and Hermione, just families starting together? I want that eventually, and a safer place for them; that gave me a new focus."

Daphne's face softened slightly as she nodded for him to continue.

Harry looked out at the shadows stretching in the garden. "So I started to read. How had other wars patched things up afterward? I mean, how do you avoid the next war? It was hard to get details on the post Grindelwald work, enough to base anything on anyway. Locking opponents away for life didn't appeal anyway. So I looked to the Muggle side of things. And things after World War I and II were so different. I think a lot of it was the difference in how Germany and Japan we treated, and decided to go for more of the approach of the Americans with the Japanese, thankfully."

If Daphne didn't understand the reference, she certainly didn't give it away. She just nodded and looked pensive.

Astoria giggled as Draco gave her a small kiss on her cheek, as he added, "And that is also how we got our home, and how I plan to get mother her home back while I'm at it. And when they finally let father out, he can find some solace at home as he will basically be a recluse. There is no help for that, I think we can all agree. Lucius has had his hand in too many wrong things to walk unfettered. And in the meantime, I help repair our family name."

Astoria jumped in. "Which is my one concern with this plan of yours, Harry. Don't get me wrong, we are eternally grateful. But how does this plan help improve the name?"

Harry sighed. "Want to handle this one, Malfoy?"

Nodding, Draco turned on the sofa to face Astoria, "It…"

Astoria shook her head, "You get into too many details and too much spin. Harry, if you would?"

Harry laughed. "I had the same problem with him and only got it on the third time when he used single syllable words. But I thought long and hard about who this makes me, and it amounts to the fact that I need to do something to make up for the damage I did. I can say I had to do it, and I honestly believe I did. A necessity of war. But that doesn't mean I cannot or should not pay. And I honestly think that Ragnok cares more about recouping honor than any cost I incurred, and thus his solution."

He walked back to his seat and sat down heavily. Daphne sat watching him, her face giving nothing away but eyes focused intensely on him. Draco was nodding as he went along, but then, Draco already knew this. The two had given this a lot of thought when Harry had come away from Ragnok. He'd surprised himself by wanting to run the conversation by Draco before Ron and Hermione. Somehow he just knew Draco would have an important perspective not just on the goblins, but on revering honor and doing something he didn't want to do. It was Draco who helped Harry focus on the end he wanted and asked if he could live with the means to get to the ends required. And he'd sworn Harry would not face it alone. That, in addition to stunning Harry, had made all the difference. Draco had explained just why Ragnok had wanted the recompense he did. After he had, Harry decided he was in, and that Draco really should consider teaching history at some point. If Binns had done half the job Draco had, Harry would have been much better off!

He hadn't noticed he had paused, reflecting. With a quick clearing of his throat, he continued, "Essentially, though, those in the legal but shady side of things will appreciate what has been done and will realize I couldn't have done this alone, look into my handlers, and see Draco and come rushing for some of the same. Draco has assured me they will get all of his second best ideas and he will walk on the less shady side of the law at least. In the meantime, nothing he is doing on this one will be in any way, shape, or form illegal in the wizarding world. And what I am doing on this is easily the least dangerous one. Trust me," he said as her forehead wrinkled, "I will not let anything come back on Draco."

"And just who is making sure nothing gets on you Potter? I mean Harry," asked Daphne, becoming curious. That speech had said a lot without giving anything away. "It seems to me Draco and Astoria benefit not only from your past good will, but from your continued good status. Why risk all this for whatever this plan is?"

Harry looked at Draco in surprise. "You didn't tell her, but you brought her?"

Draco shrugged as he got up to refill their glasses. As if on cue, Kreacher appeared with a mixed tray of finger foods. Draco added as everyone picked out a treat, "She offered to get a memory block if she didn't want in. But her political sense is second to none, even mine. And that is saying something. I'm good at it, but finance is my specialty. Daphne, though, knows every mover and shaker there is, and has gotten dirt on most of them too."

She nodded when Harry looked over in surprise. "I saw what happened to Draco's family and determined that I was going to make darn sure no one could ever wield that kind of power over mine without some kind of payback."

"Plus," said Astoria, gushing about her big sister, "she is highly protective and can hold a real grudge. I had pink hair for a summer just because I mentioned her crush to Draco once. And I HATE pink," she glared at Daphne for a long moment. Her sister just looked back at her placidly.

"Well, now, that would be fascinating. So, it sounds like you could be a good addition to the club, so long as I never get on your bad side," said Harry with an easy smile and a tip of his glass in her direction. "Astoria, you can tell me who the crush was later."

"Astoria…" warned Daphne with a growl. Harry smiled as Astoria got under Daphne's skin as only a sibling could. It was the first spark of larger emotion she'd shown. Interesting.

"Sorry, Harry, I cannot help you" said Astoria in a deadpan voice as if _imperioused_, but she followed it by mouthing the word "Later," to him.

Daphne eyes narrowed as she plotted preemptive justice. Astoria meanwhile snuggled into Draco's side, happily smiling out at her sister.

Harry decided it was best to get Daphne's mind off her sister. He decided to test Draco's boast of her skills, and see if she would admit to it. And if so, how. "So, Daphne. To our current project. If Draco thinks you can help us strategize, then you I'm sure you would be a welcome addition. Can I assume you were part of the takedown of Nott after the war, then?"

Daphne nodded, her face back to a blank. "He did bad things. And he wouldn't take no as an answer."

Harry nodded with a faint smile, but felt disgusted. He deserved it then! "And Mrs. Zabini?"

She polished her finger nails without looking at Harry. "An affront to women everywhere."

"And …" Harry was ready to go on appreciatively, his smile growing with each unconfirmed confirmation. Besides, Daphne had a more interesting character than he'd realized.

Draco groaned. "Potter for goodness sake, just assume if there was a political hit in the last three years Daphne was in it somewhere."

Harry shrugged. "Well, what can I say? Welcome to the team. I will need to introduce you to Ragnok."

"R-Ragnok? Why Ragnok?" Daphne stammered, her mask falling completely for the first time Harry could ever remember. Her head snapped to look back to Draco. "Just what is this plan?"

Draco just waved to Harry. Damn, those were intense eyes, Harry thought, as she lowered her glare on him. "Oh, we're going to rob Gringotts Zurich."

Her mouth fell open and she swiveled her head looking back and forth between Harry and Draco. She pointed as she stammered, "You…and you? They..?" she finished, pointing a finger at both as she questioned Astoria. Her younger sister just nodded back while hugging Draco. It amused Harry no end; the young girl seemed determined to give Draco every bit of love and warmth he might ever have missed. And Draco ate it up while acting above it, which is why Harry would never mention it. He knew from personal experience how much that could mean after a life without. Besides, that Draco showed that side at Harry's home meant he was truly comfortable; he would never be caught acting that way around most people.

"Well, not exactly rob in the traditional sense." Draco sat back and nuzzled Astoria's hair with a content face look on his face that belied his words.

"True," nodded Harry, "that is for the other banks. For Switzerland we are going to devalue their assets while creating a run on their bank causing others to shift their holdings to other banks or even the gnomes. Long story short, Gringotts Zurich is going to fall from the highest-value goblin bank. Hard. While London was more powerful in the goblin hierarchy before my break-in and maintain their place as head of the executive board, Zurich has been the most valuable for centuries and pushing London. Knocking them off that even for a day would make Ragnok laugh his ass off," Harry finished thinking fondly of when that moment came.

Ragnok had actually done that already when Harry originally presented the idea to him and presented Draco as his accomplice for the mission.

"A true pleasure, Mr. Malfoy," the goblin had said with no duplicity as he wiped tears from his eyes after Harry and Draco had explained their plan for Zurich. "I'd try to hire you away but I suspect you'd be a bit too hamstrung with us. And Mr. Potter, even having studied you for years, you are a revelation."

He would have to put that memory in a pensieve, as no one would believe him but it was now a personal goal to make that memory happen again. Harry would do his best to hit every bank as hard as he could. First was to stay safe and satisfy Ragnok's demands. Walking away at the end was the primary goal.

However, once he had decided to go for it, he was in for as much as he could get. In one quick run, he could make sure every one of his friends was set for life on their winnings and his own guilt for the damage to Gringotts London would be absolved. Seeing Ragnok laugh in the process was essentially style points. Breaking a bank without setting foot inside would be the cherry on top given Zurich's global positioning. He'd just get everyone to take their gold out on their own, or transfer it away while devaluing the bank's own holdings.

Harry was certain when he ran the plan by Ragnok that the goblin would like it, but the goblin had added several elements and recommended it commence the second Harry had completed the Paris job. Draco and Harry, though, had already started the rumor train, so when the other break-ins began, wizards and witches would flock to get their money without much extra prompting. Then they'd hit the bank's assets directly when they were hamstrung in their ability to respond.

Daphne still hadn't recovered in the time Harry reminisced, so he went over to her and handed her the drink she had put down earlier. "Oh, thank you," she said absentmindedly.

"You okay?" asked Harry, waiting until Daphne made eye contact and nodded. "Good. Weirder things than this are likely to happen."

Daphne nodded again, her hair catching the light from the fireplace and Harry enjoyed watching the way it bounced and curled around her face. And the way her eyebrows crinkled as she was clearly thinking through the possibilities and conclusions. "Harry, I have some ideas to help with this one. There are some key financiers who can help make sure the run on money and destabilization not just happens, but happens quickly and draws in other businesses as well. While this area isn't my specialty I am sure I know the right people to make sure it hurts the goblins as much as possible. You don't just need people to act; you need companies to move money."

Harry raised his glass in a toast of respect. "That would be wonderful. Just tell me what you need."

Daphne gave a husky chuckle, clearly enjoying the reveal. "You're not going to like it. I'm going to need you to do some politicking."

Harry grimaced as Draco laughed. "I'll give him some pointers," said Draco, and Astoria offered her services as well.

"That would be great," said Daphne, "but you'll need to have some one-on-one time with me as well Harry."

Harry nodded. He didn't have to like it, but she was right it would help, and evidently he'd be in good hands for just how to do it. That could benefit him in the long run, just as working with Draco had. "Let me guess, the same people Draco has been telling me I need to glad-hand for years?"

She nodded as she jotted some notes down. "Likely, but others as well. My connections will matter for business, but go far behind finance. Draco is much more limited in his focus. I suspect when he introduced you to his group, I predict was over lunches and golf courses."

Draco nodded amiably. "Best way to do business."

"Mmm," said Daphne, clearly not agreeing. "If you say so. I find my way much better. Harry, you'll need to be my escort to some of these parties so I can introduce you to the right people. Be prepared for multiple course meals and lots of dancing."

"Ummm…" Harry looked at Draco and Astoria but wasn't getting any help from that direction. He looked back ad Daphne worriedly.

She raised a delicate eyebrow. "You will need to be able to lead, not follow, HarryPlease tell me you have improved since the Yule Ball fourth year."

"You'd have to do something to improve," he said lowly but loud enough she heard.

She muttered something to herself as she shook her head. "You will meet me to practice Harry. You will be dancing with the leading women and wives of the leading men of these businesses. While the wizarding world can be very sexist and male dominated, the women have a strong position guiding the direction of business. Impressions matter, and I will not have you bring me down. Come to think of it, what is your plan for mediating your publicity for your series of break ins on Gringotts? How do you avoid the goblins coming after you for that matter?"

"Ragnok will step in immediately after each attack, make the goblins stand down and keep their silence. He can do this as head." Harry looked at Draco. "Draco mentioned something about the politicks side, but the point is to not make it public knowledge."

She took a long drink at this, then put her empty wine glass down. She said firmly, "Harry, it is going to come out. You don't need to tell people, but eventually, people are going to want to know why. And they aren't going to want to think that their hero has become a thief, no matter how impressive a one he is."

Harry looked over again to see Draco and Astoria nodding. "Ok, I'm not that simple. I understand controlling the message if it is going to come out. What do you propose?"

Daphne tapped her teeth with her wand. "Well, you're being paid for this right?"

Harry nodded.

"And get to keep the profits of your robberies?"

Harry shrugged. He knew what Ragnok had said but after robbing Gringotts London he'd had to make a payment back. He was wondering if the other banks would make him pay it back. While he had hesitated sharing that with Hermione and the Weasley's, for some reason he felt more comfortable telling this concern to Daphne and Draco.

Daphne smiled and shook her head at him. "Harry, that is the least of our worries. If Ragnok says you won't need to pay it back, you won't. He will protect you there, most likely using his own political movings to gain more from it too. My bet is they won't even announce the break-ins, covering the losses themselves. Ragnok can hold that over their heads, letting it come out only if they don't behave. That's even better than I'd first considered. You may not have to worry about your messaging, but my plan will still benefit you both. So, you take at least some of what you rob, say ten percent, and use it to fund some projects you currently don't with your own charities. I mean, everyone knows your work with orphans and werewolves. So, with this, we want to balance the scales to make sure you appeal to all parties. Use it to fund new supplies for Hogwarts, including a new class on wizarding traditions. That secures the conservatives when they find out."

Harry looked confused. "I thought they didn't exist because it gave conservatives an easy way to block new families easily."

Draco chuckled. "True enough Potter, and one of the reasons I was so angry when you wouldn't shake my hand on the first day. But framed properly, this could be a boon. Daphne's right. Given shifting demographics, I think the conservatives would welcome that kind of open hand right now."

Daphne nodded her appreciation and continued, "Then you fund political training and finance classes at Hogwarts as well, which all will like. You secretly fund but publicly back an ethics clause for the Ministry of Magic. Don't worry, others will pitch in, so this won't make much of a dent in your finds. The image is the thing."

"Like the Longbottoms, Bones…"

"Absolutely. With the Greengrasses, the Malfoy's, an amazing coalition of differing social groups aligning. It will signal a coming change that the Wizengamot and others will track, but show our society that centrists are gaining the day."

Harry groaned. "DON'T start on me about the Wizengamot."

Daphne smiled and said sagely, "Hermione beat me to it?"

"And Neville."

"You can't be active while you're doing all this. Keep your proxy there for now, and have them start a Lily Potter aid center for anyone who is destitute. People can think wizards and witches can magic up anything we need but plenty are not powerful, good at spells, become injured, elderly, too many kids, you name it. Spells around houses start to fail, wards drop, food pantries start to lose their preserving power. You fund a center that is based out of an easily reached central point that offers aid to any who need it. It is a perfect job, too, for wizards and witches who are good at only a small set of spells. Not much demand for it at home, but spread across the island and continent? They could have a regular job. Which would be almost impossible to do in one place in the Muggle world but would be fairly easy for us."

She was delighted to see Harry nodding happily as she mentioned each idea, even pulling a pad and pen out to jot down ideas.

They talked quickly through some more options and Daphne made sure to lock in a firm appointment time for Harry to follow up with her as well as another for when she could meet Ragnok. Soon, though, the discussion came to a close and Harry walked them all to the floo. As he walked back into the main room, he squinted as the sun setting flashed in his eyes. And then he smiled; he just had a wonderful idea. The first robbery could be over a lot faster than he'd thought…


	4. Chapter 4 - Cairo

Chapter 4 – Cairo

There is a common misconception that because phoenix are creatures of light, they are completely good or unable to engage in any behavior that could be less than socially acceptable. However, as Dumbledore had proven when escaping the law with Fawkes, this was not entirely true. Things like that somehow didn't make it in the books, likely because those powerful and good enough to attract a phoenix were the ones likely to be the victors and writing the books.

Not that Harry could point the finger too much; here he was with that knowledge and there was no way he was going to share that information any further than he had too. After all, one of Harry's closest kept secrets was that Fawkes had come to him weeks after Dumbledore's funeral, as if he had taken a mourning period before returning to engage the world once more.

The communication pattern was odd, but there was a clear sense of what Fawkes wanted and meant, and even of a sense of humor. They had gotten to understand each other better by conducting a series of pranks on the various Weasleys, targets Harry knew would not be too upset but instead would look for revenge. Precisely the reason he didn't want to leave any evidence. Fawkes had seemed to enjoy the idea and together they had started a minor prank war that saw Ginny, Ron, George, Fred, and Charlie targeting each other regularly. All of them took it easy on Percy still, just glad he was back in the fold. It had only stopped when Molly had joined forces with Fleur, Hermione, and Penny to put their collective feet down, something Molly in particular had been very slow to do as the whole thing had given George a new life.

So when Harry broached his idea for robbing some banks, Fawkes seemed to feel genuinely curious, sorting through Harry's thoughts and emotions to understand the motivation and weigh them. Pranks done in fun or avoiding an unfair incarceration made sense to the phoenix and clearly made him willing to engage in the behavior. Eventually, Harry sensed the phoenix wanted to be sure there was no long term undeserved suffering or damage. Harry wondered if Fawkes thought goblins would understood that difference. Taking gold from goblins didn't seem to bother the old bird too much, though, so Harry wondered what else Binns had missed about goblins…

Harry learned something that day; phoenix can laugh so hard they flame and disappear. Where to he didn't know, but Fawkes did, right after suggesting they just go hit Cairo now; why wait? When his suggestion stupefied Harry into immobility, the phoenix had chortled, started a song of victory, chortled more until sparks flew out and it flamed out the room altogether. Harry only realized all of this from a pensieve later, such was his shock, but still. Phoenix do flame and disappear when amused. No wonder Dumbledore was so fond of his familiar; Harry was getting that way quick.

Fortunately, once Harry recovered and Fawkes returned, Harry found he had already had all he needed – a bottomless trunk with seven compartments and an endless mokeskin bag. With a strong disillusionment charm on himself slid over top of a disguise, they were ready to go. Harry thankfully remembered his promise to Ragnok and popped to Diagon Alley quickly. He zipped through his plan, and when he left Ragnok was still chuckling behind his desk. Harry was glad the guards hadn't killed them in their positivity that Harry had somehow hurt the goblin elder when he'd started into tremors of joy and laughter. Damn goblins anyway.

So it was that Fawkes flashed them not just into Gringotts Cairo, but right into Vault 1, the oldest and most respected vault. No alarms immediately began to go off, which surprised Harry. He would have thought the oldest vaults would have had the best protection. Sadly, while the vault was on a scale Harry hadn't seen before, it was practically empty. Fawkes quickly popped them to the second vault, where things were much better. The room was filled with ancient artifacts and books, furniture, and coins. Bill had warned him about some internal curses that could exist in some vaults if entered without opening a door, Harry's biggest concern. He had kept a bubblehead charm on just to be sure nothing chemical got released would be immediately deadly, but that didn't happen either. Unfortunately, the alarms started the second they were in Vault 2. Harry whipped out his wand and got to work. Soon, coins were roaring loudly in their press to fly into the expanded mouth of his pouch.

Fawkes waited patiently for a few moments before chirping. Harry carefully put his pouch on the floor so coins could continue their self-fulfilling task. Then Fawkes flashed Harry and his trunk into the next vault with it. Another alarm started. Harry repeated his spell, and the vault started emptying into his trunk, although it too had so many coins it would take a minute or two.

That became their process, with Fawkes flashing them back and forth so they could empty two cells at a time, new alarms coming with only about half of the vaults, often the less full ones that seemed to be in states of disuse. The phoenix seemed to enjoy it, as he just started cackling and singing every so often. Harry chuckled along with him. He made sure to only take coins, not to touch any personal items or things that could have a separate value or meaning to anyone. The goblins would cover the gold loss.

The gold siphoning, as Harry thought of it, was complete in three of the largest vaults before the goblins even got down to the lower levels, given how deep they were. Ten were empty before the goblins had managed to catch up to the specific vaults they were in, and two more before they realized they needed to raise wards ahead of where Harry and Fawkes were working instead of trying to break into the ones they were in, as Harry raised wards on the inside. The two promptly finished the vaults they were in and then Fawkes flashed them up to the vaults in the 100 block. These were smaller, but packed. They managed to clean out five more vaults before the bank managed to lock down all the other vaults. With a final burst just before the goblins threw up extra wards to block any movement in or out, which Harry was stunned by and for which Fawkes had been probing consistently, Fawkes flashed them directly to the front of Gringotts London.

Harry just stood there for a long moment. It was so surreal, one minute to be in dire peril and the next to be standing in bright sunlight and practically carefree. Harry looked at the clock as they walked into the lobby; the whole thing had only taken an hour in total. He was quickly escorted to Ragnok, who looked up, curious, when Harry walked in. Harry tried to keep a serious look on his face, but his lips kept twitching up on the sides.

"How much?" asked the goblin elder. "Please tell me it was spectacular. You went for the biggest vaults first, right? So did you get through two or three of them? That would be enough. Please tell me you got three!"

"Please, Ragnok," said Harry ever so respectfully, trying not to laugh, "may Fawkes be here for this?"

The goblin thought softly for a moment, and lowered his newly developed phoenix ward. He nodded, and with a though, Fawkes popped in on Harry's shoulder. "Well," said Harry, "I have a proposal for you."

The goblin sat back, surprised and somewhat vexed he wasn't getting an immediate answer. Would the boy being trying to double cross him? His fingers twitched over the phoenix ward, but he stilled himself. Once he thought for more than a split second, he reminded himself just why he had chosen this particular wizard. It just wasn't in character. So instead the old goblin settled for interweaving his fingers and waiting.

"Oh? And just what would the proposal be?"

Harry smiled. "Well, option one, you can get the story here and now, and be done and save your time. Or option two, we can go with what we took and see if you can predict how much it was or option 3, bet on what you think we took."

"Bet?" asked the goblin lackadaisically. "Stakes?"

Harry thought hard. He hadn't really expected Ragnok to even consider option 3. "Well, whatever we took against you letting us out of two banks of our choice."

Ragnok's eyes flew open. "What you made is good enough you think it would be worth me wanting to renegotiate our agreement?"

"Well, when you put it like that, no. I actually don't know how much we got, but it was a good amount."

The old goblin humphed and crossed his arms. "We will need to work on your estimating skills then. For now, then, I will take option 2. I think you underestimate my thirst for vengeance, Harry. And so far, it looks like I bet on the right way to do it. I'll still with that bet instead."

"No problem. We'll just go deposit out winnings as agreed. And you promise to deal with the blow back? Nothing comes back to hit Fawkes or I."

"I doubt any humans truly understand the internal workings within one Gringotts, let alone across them. Let me assure you, Harry, while I cannot stop them from sniping at me without losing more face, I can order them on behavior on bank matters. And as I am part of the board overseeing all banking costs, I will have to help deal with out shortfalls. On the other hand, I doubt you will keep much of this gold outside the bank?"

Harry nodded. He'd keep some in case anything ever came up again, but really, earning interest was a good thing.

"Then we shall be able to invest wisely for you, and help recoup our own losses over time." The goblin smiled, his filed teeth glinting. "It went that well, then?"

Harry chuckled as Fawkes preened himself. "Well, I don't want to brag, sir. You do have high standards, and I don't want to let you down."

Ragnok snorted. The boy was entirely too smug right now, which was sooooo promising. He wished his cousin Longsnout much agony right now! He'd had to put up with enough of his posturing after the dragon debacle, which had little to no customer loss. This could be an exceptional day! Well, it already was. The wizard had already done it better and faster than he would have thought possible. Who knew he had access to Dumbledore's phoenix, and that it would be willing to do such a thing?!

"I think I will go with option 2, Harry, and I am going to predict a little over 2 million galleons."

Harry's smile seemed to be locked in the permanently, "on" position. "Well, Ragnok, let me ask just how big your largest available vault is."

"Harry, we agreed this money is yours. You can put it in your vault." The goblin frowned. Surely not a conscience showing up. That could be trouble.

"Oh, I know. But I want to be able to say it is in Gringotts London, not in the Potter vault, and besides, what can I do? You know how much of a _persona non grata_ I am here!"

Ragnok barked out a laugh. "I'm going to have to ward a special vault so you can come and go without people seeing you outside, Harry! I love it! As for the biggest vault 'open', it is actually your vault via the Perevell's, vault 4. There is little in it anymore. We haven't really had a chance to discuss your holdings, have we?" finished the old goblin smugly as Harry's brain shut down. He was going to have to pensieve this whole afternoon at this day. In fact, the goblin was beginning to wonder if someone had slipped felix felicis in his drink this morning.

The goblin led the wizard and the phoenix out, and with a small phalanx of guards who hustled with the zest that can only come from wanting to impress, and down to the 4th vault. Ragnok waved a claw, and the vault opened. Harry just nodded; Ragnok suddenly realized the wizard didn't even know that this meant Ragnok was the vault representative. Not just any goblin could walk up and open just any vault, after all. He would have to walk Harry through protocol later.

They went inside; it was a massive vault, even bigger than the largest in Egypt had been. The walls had a bookshelf or two but there was little remarkable in the echoing chamber. Harry asked, "How do you keep galleons from going out the door?"

Ragnok's eyes bulged. "There's a ward that blocks it."

Harry nodded, satisfied. "And you can count or track the change in value in the vault?"

Ragnok's ears flopped as he nodded. "Perfectly."

Fawkes gave a warble of excitement as Harry lined them up to unleash the trunk; he decided to only deposit five of the seven compartments. Ragnok's words made Harry realize divesting enough to keep SOME under his own control was a good idea. He opened it and gave a swish of his wand. The coins starting rolling into the far reaches of the vault. Ragnok's guards stood back but some of the goblins who worked counters came past them and started flicking the coins into stacks. Ragnok giggled like a schoolgirl as the counter display on the pad in front of him started rolling up, quickly zipping through thousands at a time.

Harry chuckled as Fawkes tweeted a question. "No, let's keep that between us for now."

Ragnok gave a quick look over. Harry gave him a quick wave. "You'll see. It's a good surprise."

Within minutes Harry had to slide the trunk back, as the vault had begun to fill in the back as Ragnok's counter jumped over the million galleon mark. When it passed the two million mark, and the trunk slowed, Ragnok crowed, "This is the best! Longsnout is going to be Droopysnout for the next couple of decades if I have anything to say about it! Mock me, will you? Harry, you have made my day!"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, sir. This is a seven chamber trunk."

Fawkes fell of his shoulder, sparks flying when he saw Ragnok's jaw dropped. "So close to 14 million?" he said in awe.

Harry shook his head. "Not exactly, sorry. We only got five compartments to unload."

The goblin recovered. "Well, no matter. This is already more than I hoped…"

With a laugh, Harry pulled out his mokeskin bag around his neck. "On the other hand, 10 million is probably right for the trunk. Do you know who sells these, by the way? Because I think we should hit them for false advertising; they aren't actually endless. This filled up about just before we had to leave."

Ragnok staggered back a step in stunned fascination. He stammered, "T-twenty million?"

Harry shrugged. "Give or take. Somewhere between 25 and 30, probably." He watched the goblin closely, as did Fawkes, who had flashed back to his shoulder.

Fawkes tittered. "You're right Fawkes. We're gonna need a bigger vault."

Ragnok snorted, surprising Harry by catching the reference. Then his snort turned to a chuckle, until the goblin was leaning on his knees to avoid falling down, and then he finally gave in and fell on his rear end, laughing non-stop the whole time.

Harry eyed the guards warily, but they seemed to be more amazed this time than desirous of attacking. "I take it that is good? Not so much it will cause an issue, though, right? No offense, and I hope it isn't too obvious but I would really like to not have to watch my back for a death squad anytime soon." He knew they'd taken a fair amount, but really had little sense of just how much that was in terms of how much a wizard used daily or made in a lifetime or how much loss a bank could handle.

"Oh, Mr. Potter. Harry," said the goblin wheezed when he could breathe again. "Just a few moments before I must, simply MUST, rush to Cairo to visit my poor, poor cousin. And to ensure he knows just why he is suffering and at whose hands he is suffering. He will keep it quiet, and he will know this was my doing. And I will ensure that he does not retaliate against you or I."

"How can you ensure that?" asked Harry loudly over the rushing sound of coins.

The goblin gave a huge smile showing his teeth. "Harry, I need to give you a crash course on goblins, and economics, and we will negotiate a fair trade for that. And I do mean fair. For now, let me just say your robberies to put these upstarts in their place and stop their use of us as a punchline are just a part of what I am doing here. I know how much you abhorred Dumbledore's manipulations, so let me assure you I am not acting against your interest at all. I will fill you in on it when the timing is right. For now, let me assure you he will behave when I am done. Do you need anything else?"

Harry nodded with a quick glance at Fawkes. "Just please let me know if I do something wrong before I get on your bad side." He sketched out a small bow to the goblin leader.

And in a move that drew gasps from the goblin counters still moving stacks of coins, the elder goblin returned the slightest bow of his head before happily rushing to crow at his victory over Droopysnout, his guards hastening to precede and follow him.


	5. Chapter 5 - Paris

Chapter 5 – Paris

Harry sat at the fountains outside the Louvre, looking at the glass pyramid as he munched on a ham and cheese baguette. He had looked at it from every side and decided he liked it, although he supposed he could see why some Parisians were offended or at least upset by the piece. It didn't exactly fit, but for some reason Harry felt it was a nice tying of a prominent historical design with a modern feel, bringing the exterior of the museum up to a more contemporary feel while retaining the historical weight of the place at the same time.

He decided he loved traveling, and if nothing else came of this enterprise, well other than millions of galleons thus far, it was good to have stirred his interest in travel. He flipped his sandals off and wriggled his feet in the water briefly, enjoying the coolness and this window of free time.

Between Draco and Hermione, he had been regaled with what he should do while in Paris. Fleur and Gabrielle, on the other hand, had simply commandeered his calendar and insisted on showing him all the sights, Muggle-style to ensure he stayed off the goblins' radar. Thus Harry had found he liked the Musee D'Orsay more than the Louvre. In fact, the main gallery in the Musee might be his favorite museum spot he'd ever seen! The old converted railway with its statue gallery was just fascinating. Smaller museums like the Marmottan had keyed Fleur's plan. She had raved about every small gallery like the one with over 50 of Monet's originals, off the most heavily tourist-visited areas. Gabrielle much preferred the architectural side, and had him climbing up Notre Dame, under the opera house, and somehow on the roof of Sacre Couer, although she'd claimed the last was an accident.

That had been great fun, and then Daphne had shown up unexpectedly, announcing there were some really important people Harry should meet while in Paris. Gabrielle had been disappointed, but Fleur had agreed and between the two of them, had put together an impressive list in short order. A quick floo call later, and a gathering at the Delacour home was planned for two weeks' time, with invitations to both Harry and Daphne to attend. Fleur and Daphne had then explained just how much went into planning such an event, and Harry had been free again to wander Paris on his own.

He had loved the Latin Quarter, walking through stalls and trying all kinds of foods, and promising himself to bring Ron back here. The elevator up the Eiffel Tower had been a blast, and Harry had chuckled as some of the riders had shied away from the views provided. He was more comfortable on a broom, and of course he always had a shrunken one on him for emergencies, ever since the war. But still, it amused him how people so scared of heights still braved them to be able to say they did and see the sights.

Following a long swig of water, he finished his sandwich and slipped his sandals back on before walking by the pyramid. The guards outside the structure still blocked entry to the Louvre at the moment, citing a work stoppage. Harry chuckled. The goblins would never let such a thing happen. But then again, their entrance wasn't in the Louvre but through the Carrousel du Louvre, the mall under the plaza. One good thing had come from his long trek through the Louvre, though, an addition to Bill and Fleur's plan which was just too good not to use. He moved back to the Rue du Rivoli and down to the Carrousel, where he slipped into a restroom, emptied his pack and changed into his uniform. Moving to the back of the stall, he tapped the wall with his wand, and was suddenly in the wizarding part of the mall.

He walked comfortably down to the entrance to Gringotts and then by it. Here came the hard part. He could kiss Hermione and Fleur. If only the Weasley boys weren't so easily upset, he joked to himself. He slowed as he saw a small, nondescript door just ahead on his left. There it was, the employee entrance to Gringotts Paris.

He went up and rapped three times on the door. It popped open and he stepped inside, eyes struggling to adjust to the lower light levels. He was in a small antechamber with just a desk and a goblin, but Harry knew this was just deceptive, for under the carpeting lay a rune pattern that would blow him into tinier parts than the sand on Bill and Fleur's beach if he was deemed a threat.

"_Name, wand, and badge_," said a bored goblin.

Harry pulled out the wand Bill had lifted for him. Fleur had procured the translator badge all employees wore, because goblins got tired of listening to poorly phrased Gobbledegook by their human employees, evidently. Gabrielle somehow had managed to find when a new goblin would be on the guard, whose lack of knowledge of Harry would not cause a problem. Hermione, on the other hand, had drilled multiple layers of French dialogue into his head.

"_Here you go_," said Harry in a lazy French drawl, imitating Draco.

The goblin barely even processed the readouts, and Harry wasn't surprised, although he let out an internal sigh of relief. It made sense when Bill had explained it. It was the lowest of low posts to be assigned, there had never been any known record of someone trying to get in this way who shouldn't, so there wasn't exactly a heightened security sense. Besides, Hermione's link with the Unspeakables had shared under threat of death a way to copy a wand signature, so Bill had managed to swipe one for just seconds and perform the masking on a backup wand Harry had found at least warm for him. So for now, Harry was Phillipe Bertons, as far as the goblin in front of him knew.

That wasn't the hard part, though. There was no real way of knowing the precise route he needed for this job. Fleur and Bill had visited briefly when Bill had come back from a curse breaking job, with the orders to drop off the antiquities found at the experts of the Louvre. While the two had been through security, their trip hadn't gone much further thanks to goblin expediency. They had been back out within minutes. Even in the pensieve, they had only been able to give Harry a general idea of the next best steps.

Harry walked past the bored guard, maintaining a bored, cavalier face of his own. He'd practiced it while Ron shot hexes at him and when Hermione grilled him about his love life, figuring that was enough to make sure he could act one way while feeling another. He walked out the other side of the antechamber and down a long, door filled corridor. Ignoring all these, he went out the door at the other end of the hall, which opened into the banks main lobby.

Chandeliers of incredibly weight produced a much brighter effect than the other areas of the bank. Dark marble and wood seemed to be consistencies of goblin banks, for there, Gringotts London and Paris seemed to have similar feels. Instead of walking directly toward the door he hoped was right, he instead walked to the employees' break room. It was a hard fought accommodation from the goblins, who found it an oddity. In fact, once the right was given to use it, many wizards wouldn't at first for fear of how they would be viewed. True to their word, though, the goblins hadn't punished anyone for using their breaks there, and in time they had begun to be used as planned.

Harry walked in and was delighted to see a group of three chatting amiably as they played a card game. Interestingly, the two men were dressed in Muggle-style dark blue suits and the woman was in a dress suit with a sharp grey blazer and skirt along with a white blouse. Over in one corner hung two men's and one women's wizard robes, though. Harry took this all in and filed it as he nodded politely and then went over to the sink, using an empty mug on the shelf above it to get some water. With it in hand, he walked to the group who kept playing as they shared greetings and names. He was careful to introduce himself as Gustave; no sense to chance one of them knowing Phillipe after all. They introduced themselves as Sophie, Pierre, and Jean Paul.

Without much more preamble, Harry added, testing his French, "_So, I've just gotten transferred over from the Montreal branch. What divisions are all of you_?"

The three gave him a startled look. "_Wow, welcome to the big leagues then. Nice job on the accent, you do you 'r's properly. Where are you from_?"

With a vague wave, Harry said, "_Most everywhere, but I'm from British Columbia. And my accent is all over the place from family and travel. So I just hope it holds_."

The woman who identified herself as Sophie murmured, "_Well, if it doesn't you won't see a job anywhere near people or goblins. Unless you can handle Gobbledegook. Without the translator._"

Harry shrugged, "_Some, but it hurts my throat, my jaw, and then…_"

"_Everything's raw_!" finished the others with him in the old joke Bill had warned him about.

Moments later, Pierre slammed his cards down in victory, and collected his winnings. The others grumbled but got up to get back to work. They grabbed their robes and threw them on before they headed out into the lobby.

At Harry curious look, Pierre explained, "_Image at all times, my friend. Even for just a thirty second walk across the lobby. So when in the wizarding word, always present a wizarding image. The second we are in the Muggle world, you'd better look and sound like a Muggle. In our own offices, the goblins do not care_."

Harry nodded and followed them out, sipping on his water. "_Makes sense in goblin logic, I'm sure_."

The others all nodded with rolled eyes. They walked across the side of the lobby, where there were at least twenty stations with goblins working feverishly, even though only five of them had current customers. The walkway was separated from the main floor, as they walked behind half of the goblin stations. The group headed toward a series of three ornate, heavy-looking doors on the opposite side.

"_So_," said Sophie again as "_goblins don't let any wizards here in accounting or direct files. We all deal with Muggle businesses that blend into our world or help navigate acquisitions or mergers. I'm real estate…_"

"_I'm corporate ventures_," said Jean Paul, the tallest, dark haired member of the group.

_Too slow!_ Harry cursed his luck as Jean Paul pulled out his wand and waved it in front of the door. Evidently they all thought Harry was a part of Muggle ventures too, which meant he was not going to get where he needed by following them. Unfortunately, they were not going to give him a quick tour either, meaning he only had a fifty-fifty chance with the other two doors, and it would be in front of an entire office of goblins. Thankfully, he'd brought the mug as an excuse to walk back to the break room and try again.

Harry interrupted as fast as he could, "_And I'm_…"

"_New, we know!_" said Pierre, slapping him on the back and directing him through the door. It closed behind them, and Harry could feel the wards leap to full strength behind him.

Suddenly, it was much worse than Harry had imagined it could go. He knew those wards, or at least what they did. There was no getting through them until the next break. The wizards were almost prisoners here, like they were sitting in a time-lock. And now Harry was stuck in it. And when the regular goblin patrol did their sweep, he'd be stuck sitting here. Now, finding the right door seemed like the LEAST of his worries. He needed to find a way out, or to hide, quick. And he couldn't use his one sure tool, the trick he had for the vaults themselves, because it was a one-off, and thus if he used it then the whole venture would fall apart. He didn't think for a second a phoenix would work again. And his invisibility cloak would get him in but not through any ward.

He knew Bill, Fleur, Gabrielle, and Daphne were having lunch in a restaurant at the Louvre, easily reached in minutes if they had too, but none of them would have an excuse or ready way to get back here. Storming Gringotts was insane; instead, their best bet was to run to Ragnok if they sensed trouble. Harry's mind worked feverishly through his options, even as his new acquaintances now told him what every office was, from inserting records into Muggle files, to cross-listing real estate, to blending wiring and pipe work in Muggle buildings to handle when a magical building was suddenly linked to the system.

Harry stopped at the last one of them. "_That's me, then._"

The three looked at him in surprise. "_You're the replacement for Fontaine? Boy they are fast!_"

Jean Paul added, "_I thought they meant he was out for the day, like with a cold_."

Sophie shook her head. "_No, he botched the work on the Fignon place. Sent him back to Lyon, I think. Not much action there, the works all been done on the old stuff. Paris is full of work, Gustave, so you must be good to be so young_."

He just shrugged and waved them on.

"_Well, if you have any trouble let us know_." With that the three started on their way.

With a quick glance, Harry looked around and then threw his cloak on. Just in time, as Sophie looked around as she started to ask, "_Say, Gustave…Well, never mind. I guess he got right to work_."

Her two companions nodded, and then Jean Paul added, "_We'd better too. If the new guy makes us look bad, we may get worse than Lyon_."

As the three moved out of sight, Harry sighed in relief from under his cloak. He hadn't dared try to the lock on the door with the others right there. It should work for any properly hired new employee, and Harry wasn't so…best avoided. He held out his hand, palm up, just in front of the door. He sighed in relief; he couldn't feel anything. Ever since the trip to Voldemort's inferi-filled cave, he'd tried to work on sensing magic like Dumbledore had been able to do with Tom's boat. It had worked some, and he felt nothing on the door now. It was just locked. With a quick swipe of his back-up wand, Harry stepped in, and then locked it again behind him. No alarms.

He took quick stock. Still stuck, but still not detected and he'd infiltrated this far. But now, how to get to the vaults? If he could just get to the entrance! Of course, he could have easily walked up to the vault entrance if he had posed as a new customer. But getting in wasn't the problem. Getting out, and hopefully undetected, that would be the hard part. Taking any money with him, well, in this case that would be bonus. Thankfully, Ragnok had agreed that given the plan, getting out with the money wasn't necessary.

Harry eyed the room, looking for anything that could help when he noticed a book on the shelf, a magical plumbing book. _Hmm_. A memory stirred of a certain ghost. Nasty, but a possibility.

He quickly looked at the index, then the table of contents. He thumbed to the best looking options, and within minutes had found spells that allowed one to send a sounding ping through a pipe, scan it for structural defaults, and even a pulse-based spell to help blast them clean. Possibly helpful. Then he saw the section on "The Fat Wizard's Helper." Curious, Harry went through the section and found a spell for slimming your shoulders and hips, gut, whatever was your most wide section, in half to help get into tight corners or through small spaces. Another option made the outside of your skin tougher and coated it with a slimy surface to let you slide into tight spaces. There was even one to turn your arm no thicker than a spindle to reach around to unclog something a spell couldn't bend to get. Those could work.

Harry scanned to the room for a schematic map. There had to be one! Sure enough, looking for long rolls of paper led him to the maps of Gringotts Paris quickly enough. Reading them was another issue. He flipped back and forth through several maps, looking desperately for anything linking this wing with the vaults or at least near them. Finally, on the opposite end of the hall, running through the outer wall of the restroom, was a sewer pipe that connected down to the vaults, and then flowed from there down to the city sewers. Yuck!

With a quick memorization technique and a test on his arm, Harry found he could perform the spell. He had just fixed his arm when there was a knock at the door, and without pause a goblin marched in.

"There is a blockage in the restroom. Go fix it." The goblin didn't even look to see if the order was understood or to see if any clarification of which restroom was required. Just a glinting of teeth suggesting the goblin had been part of the problem.

Harry packed up the bag that was in the corner for show, and donned the overalls that were on the back of the door. At least he now understood why goblins didn't allow a simple vanishing spell on the toilets; one employee had smuggled out thousands of galleons that way. Harry gave a brief chuckle for the brilliance; it had never occurred to him. Evidently, though, the book had said, the thief never could find where the coins had been vanished to. Anyway, he had a plan now!

He hurried to the restroom, ignoring the call of greeting from Sophie on the way by. He took some of the tape he'd seen in the bag over the door to indicate it was closed. He then went to the toilet, and with a quick swish, hit it with the pulse to clean it. Unfortunately, water and everything else sprayed back up. Harry's reflexes barely saved him from being covered in the muck. The spell had worked, though. Harry used his wand to move the rest of the mess back to the toilet and flush it, then spelled the area clean. That should help cover the tracks of who was here at least some.

With a quick ear to the door, and not hearing anything, Harry went to the wall and spelled a section away revealing a pipe far too small for him. He deiced to go for spells on and two, coating and shrinking. But he didn't want to leave the out of order sign up. He stopped and thought for a moment before going out with his bag, taking down the tape, and walking back to "his" office. Dropping off the supplies, he threw on his cloak and went back to the restroom, which was still empty.

Quickly, he spelled an opening in the pipe just as he heard sounds of someone approaching. The smell from the pipe was awful, but thankfully it was an external ward to keep anything from splashing out. He just hoped it didn't keep him from getting in. Now, head or feet first? No time to decide, as he heard voices stop briefly outside the door; someone would be coming in within moments!

Harry cast the two spells on himself, shrinking his width and coating himself, then climbed into the disgusting tunnel with his head aimed in the direction he wanted to go. He raised his wand and put the wall back in place just before the door opened. With a _silencio _and bubblehead charm_,_ he then covered the pipe back up and was sealed in the pipe. He aimed his wand down his body to point between his feet. _This had better work._

With a quick thought, a pulse flew out of his wand and sent Harry rocketing down the pipe like a bowling ball down the gutter. With two more times using the spell, Harry came to the first split and had bits and chunks all over him. He veered left and soon was moving down toward the level he needed to be in. He went until he reached the next vee. It was further than he needed to go, but there was no way of knowing where he was without it.

He reversed this spells, vanishing pipe, _silencio_, then wall. He stood and vanished the contents off of himself. Again. An again. He peeked into the hall; all was clear. He fixed the pipe and wall, and then cast a fresh air spell over himself too. No way he was taking off the bubblehead spell, yet, though. He wondered if Hermione would obliviate that for him later. Maybe he'd ask Bill. Surely given everything Bill had seen, he would understand…

Harry worked his way up the hall, dinging into the mokeskin bag and pulling out the shrunken statue he had gotten from the Louvre gift shop. A small Egyptian sarcophagus. Perfect, even if the goblins would never see it. When he got the end of the hall, he peeked out. Two goblin sentries stood across the way, guarding the entrance to the vaults.

He was close to back on schedule. Bill had given him a plan for this. Harry pulled out the Peruvian powder and checked it down to the opposite end of the hall. The area instantly turned dark. The guards rushed to it, and began poking it with their spears. Harry quickly hustled across to the entrance of the vaults with his cloak on. There, he enlarged the sarcophagus until it was full size, and then activated the runes on it. It set off the alarms, but it would hold the guards off for long enough.

Instantly, Harry began the chant to cast the _fidelius_ over the entrance. By Bill's calculations, it was predicted Harry could cover the first fifty or so vaults. Not the biggest or most important, but given it included the most recent deposits, transfers, and other assundries that didn't always go back to the deeper vaults, it would easily divest he goblins of millions. And while the goblins could theoretically get to the other vaults and remember them, they wouldn't be able to remember how to get to them, and would have to dig around to get to them. Given how tight Paris buildings were above and below ground here, that alone would cost in the millions, and even then would be rudimentary, lacking the panache the French goblins and wizards were used too. Thus, Ragnok had agreed the plan made sense much more than aiming for the deeper vaults.

Harry heard pounding on the door but ignored it and pushed his magic as hard as he could to expand the space included under its umbrella. When he'd reached his limit, he completed the spell and sagged to the floor, the pounding muffled now. Realizing he'd been going for hours now, he pulled out some water and food. Now came the next problem, he mused.

He was now perfectly safe under a _fidelius_, from which there was no good out, and if he did step out, he'd be dead.

It all depended on just how imaginative the goblins were on their warding, and if they were up to the challenge of thinking like Gred and Forge. George had managed to work with Bill to develop a concept he had come up with Fred. Portable fireplaces, so you could floo out of any house in an emergency. It required emergency hook-up to the floo network, but Hermione had solved that part. In an emergency, there was an override wizards could use.

Harry looked around idly wondering where it would look best before realizing he was being silly. As long as he didn't put in one of the vaults, which likely were warded against this, he should be fine. What goblin in their right mind would worry about someone putting a fireplace in their own cart tunnel?

Pulling his wand, he threw the portable floo on the wall and gave it the name "Ragnok's Revenge with the complements of the Modern Marauders." No one should pull that out by accident! And thus Ragnok could send guards back to loot if he so desired. Harry's part was done. But just in case there was any way to monitor flooing in the goblins' demesnes even when not under their control but under a _fidelius_, Harry decided to floo when it would be rush hour at the Ministry letting him blend in with too much other traffic to be followed. So he idly sat reading the plumbing book he'd lifted for half an hour before he finally flooed out and to the Ministry of Magic in London, wearing a long cloak that covered him head to toe. He had predicted well, and walked out into the throng before turning around to then floo out to the Leaky, then to the Three Broomsticks, and then home. He sent a quick patronus to Bill and Hermione and then climbed into a long bath that Kreacher had drawn with a disgusted look at Harry.

Shrugging, Harry crawled in, soaking so long he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - Boston

**Chapter 5 – Boston**

**A/N: I have to say thanks to all of you who have taken the time to review and give feedback, or follow along. It is the first encouragement I have had in some time for my fiction, so even if I am playing in someone else's playground, thank you! **

**Some of you have expressed concerns about me running two stories at a time. One of my pet peeves is stories I love that remain incomplete, so I have every intention of completing both (and two at a time is enough for me, no worries). Both have been outlined, so I know where they are going and hopefully will avoid writer's block, although the muse can be fickle. **

**I will say there is enough going on in life that I may not update as fast as your reviews make me want to (encouragement is a wonderful drug!), but I will keep going and hope you stay along for the ride.**

###

Harry spun Daphne around the dance floor with increased ease. He wouldn't jump to admit it, but the politicking skills she had been teaching had been incredibly important and helpful.

And the dancing, that was good. He had to admit, whoever had come up with the idea of slow dances deserved a Merlin First Class. Whoever thought of fast dancing, on the other hand, deserved a first row seat for the Dementors at Azakaban…

Perhaps not with some of the elder matrons whose hands dipped just a little too low down his backside for Harry's comfort, but thankfully Daphne always seemed to know just when to cut back in and save him. Granted, she took great joy in taking the mickey out after she had saved the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-Saved-from-the-Grabby-Hands. When Harry had continued to bemoan his fate, Daphne had reminded him that she, and many of the other women, had received much worse from exploring paws. When Harry had glared around the room, she had chuckled softly before assuring him she knew how to take care of herself now, with or without her wand.

Knowing she could take care of herself, no matter how chauvinistic it made him feel, did set his mind at ease. Truth be told, Daphne's plans and education had also made him feel better about the goblins' schemes and how to enact them. In fact, he finally was feeling better about ways to help with wizarding world continue to advance and starting to make some plans for after the goblins' entreaty was fulfilled. If things kept going this smoothly, he wouldn't even have to enact their recovery plan publicly.

A quick squeeze from his dance partner lower on his backside brought him back to paying attention. Daphne just quirked an eyebrow at his betrayed look. He shrugged an apology.

"Knew that would get your attention. Pay attention to a lady, Potter. People would think you were never taught your manners."

With a quick dip, he whispered in her ear, "I blame it on nature and nurture then; a woeful family followed by a dismal education system, milady."

He enjoyed watching her hair flutter softly, just tiny wisps moving from the tight coils she had it bound in at the moment. She smiled softly as she titled her head back slightly to complete the spin and then snapped back up to stand right in front of him as the dance stopped. She gave him a soft hug and then he escorted her back to their table.

"So, Harry, should I congratulate you on your latest triumph?" she asked as they wound their way through the crowd.

"Not publicly, no," he responded.

They sat and sipped on their drinks. As they did she pointed out the power players.

"That," he said with a flick of her eyes to indicate the man in question, "is Tyson Long, top exporter to Africa. And that is the Olstanders, Dyad, Nyad, and Trini. Don't ask, just use the names they prefer. And that, Harry, is Byron Thorensen. He runs one of the major import/export businesses. Second largest from North America. You should hit him up during your trip to the States. We'll talk with him tonight to set it up."

"Oh?" said Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Who said I'm going to the States soon?"

Daphne gave him her sideways grin that was growing on him. "Harrryyy," she drew out his name, "please, remember who you're talking to. I have my ways."

"Oh, right, you and Hermione get on now. I forget that sometimes." The two had hit it off right after the Battle of Hogwarts, sharing spells that helped in the reconstruction of the castle. Well, after McGonagall knocked their heads together and stopped them from trying to one up one another. One conversation had turned to many, and then they turned out to be good sources for each other in their professional lives.

Daphne smirked. "Really, Potter, you need to pay attention to these things."

Harry smiled at her. "Oh, Ms. Greengrass? I should be paying attention to you and your movements?"

"Are you saying you don't?" She said with a toss of her hair. She then leaned into the table, deepening the cut of her dress dangerously, and batted her lashes at him.

Harry sat back and gulped. "No comment."

Daphne gave a moue of disappointment. "Harry, you were doing so much better. You have to be able to flirt in these settings. Young women expect it. Middle aged women secretly hope for it. And older women eat it up, no matter how much they may say it is inappropriate."

The young wizard sighed. He still had trouble getting comfortable around women his own age for some reason. Older, fine. Young kids, no problem. Actual flirting or interest from young women, though, and he clammed right up.

He just nodded acknowledgment at Daphne, who gave a small sigh of her own as she looked over his shoulder with...disappointment? Frustration?

A flounce of light blonde hair caught Harry's peripheral vision just as the voice followed. "Harry? It is you!"

A willowy figure came around and sat primly down in a seat across from him.

Harry gave a little stare, trying to place the person. "Gabrielle?"

The young woman beamed at him. "You do remember me! So good to see you, Harry! What are you doing here? I thought you hated hobnobbing!"

Harry looked over at Daphne, who was looking on in unimpressed fashion. Harry quickly put two and two together. "I'm sorry, I am forgetting my manners, Gabrielle, this is my date this evening, Ms. Daphne Greengrass. Daphne is an excellent negotiator, political savant, and businesswoman. Daphne, this is Ms. Gabrielle Delacour. I'm sure you know…"

Daphne nodded, "I know the family history, Harry. Nice to see you, Ms. Delacour. I hope your family have not been too bothered with the Gringotts Zurich fallout."

Gabrielle gave a mini bow of her head, and then waved for the waiter to attend on them. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Greengrass. Your reputation precedes you. And yes, we have been good. Papa has always hedged his bets, so we are diversified enough that if Zurich has problems we will be fine. Besides, much of our banking is done through Paris of course. I did not realize you were such friends," she changed course to focus back on the people across from her.

Harry chuckled. "We are still getting to know one another, Gabrielle." He missed Daphne's slight frown at the comment.

"Oh," said Gabrielle with disappointment. "Well, I know how important good friends are to you Harry, so I hope you fit the bill, Ms. Greengrass. As you know, Harry, while my father is in the French ministry, my mother's family winery is connected with several of the businesses here. Have you spoken with mama yet?"

Harry nodded. "We did speak briefly." He felt a swift kick under the table. He knew better than to look at Daphne right away or directly by now, so he took a drink and surveyed the room. Daphne performed a combination of miming and mouthing for him to dance with Gabrielle.

He asked Gabrielle, who was excited and bounced to the floor. He chuckled looking down at his arm as she dragged him with her the whole way. He led her through the opening steps of the waltz without talking, getting his rhythm down, before starting to discuss the others on the floor with her. She had a deep understanding of the subtleties as Daphne did. However, they hadn't danced for more than a minute or two before Harry got a tap on his shoulder.

"Cho?"

He hadn't seen Cho in years, but he knew there was a good chance she'd be here. She was on Daphne's checklist she'd made Harry memorize.

"May I cut in, Gabrielle? I would normally wait but I only have a few moments before I have to run. Cross continent floo…"

Gabrielle nodded but clearly a little disappointed. "Thank you for the lovely dance Harry. Save me another one later then."

He nodded as she headed back to Daphne. He noticed them speak briefly before they both turned to look at him. As they did, Harry felt a soft hand on his cheek as Cho turned Harry's head to face her and then leaned in lowly and kissed him. As they separated, Harry gave her a confused look, but she just motioned with her eyes toward the table. Harry moved his head as little as possible, and slowly at that, and caught both Daphne and Gabrielle giving Cho inscrutable looks.

"No offense, Cho, but what was that?"

"Hmm?" said Cho, just now turning back from looking over the drink table, but clearly looking out of the corner of her eyes as Harry had. "Oh, just helping you. We need to get you sorted with a partner Harry, and those two clearly both like the idea of the job. Just look at that body language! Leaning apart from one another, arms crossed, creased brow, hundred yard glares, etc. Unless you prefer Crabbe; I think he's still on the market."

Harry shook a little. Crabbe? He gave a soft laugh. "No, thanks, I quite prefer women. But only one, thanks. And one of them, not you? You're the only one who has kissed me, after all."

"Definitely not me, Harry. No offense, but we both know that wouldn't work long term. So, think it over and come to a decision. I suspect you'll get little rest otherwise; one or the other of them will always be nearby, at least as much as they can."

The dance ended and as Cho headed toward the bar, Harry wandered over to the pair of women who were talking but both watching him too. Harry thought hard; surely Cho was reading into things? Daphne had been wonderful the past weeks, but that was part of the plan. She was benefitting professionally in making more contacts than ever thanks to people who wanted to meet Harry. They danced, but so did everyone at the functions. And Gabrielle? He'd just seen her for the first time in a year or two. He resolved to just pay attention and see if Cho was right before worrying about it.

Gabrielle and Daphne stood, with Gabrielle coming over to Harry. "I'll collect that dance later, Harry." She gave him a brief hug, but trailed her hand along his chest as she walked past him.

Harry's eyes flicked up to Daphne, and she gave him a curious look, but just said,

"Come on, let's go meet old Thorensen. We need to make sure he is ready to pull his investments from Zurich when you meet with him..."

##

The back garden at Grimmauld had never looked better, and with just the right wards in place, Harry could mostly ignore the plants that tried to snap, growl, and even spit at him. He flipped through the Daily Prophet before chucking aside for he Quibbler. Luna's paper was always good for a laugh. He wasn't sure how she had managed to find authors who seemed to channel her inner spirit but he was certain there was no way she could write all of those bylines.

Thankfully, she spent less time covering his social calendar than the Prophet did! Pictures of him with Daphne, and with Gabrielle, and with the three together had led to some outrageous articles and letters from readers. Harry was glad he had the goblins blocking anything dangerous. Daphne hadn't brought up the whole thing when they'd gone over a last debrief before Harry left for Boston, so he assumed it wasn't an issue. If it was, she'd manage it, he was certain.

Gabrielle had gotten her dance, and another later, where she was exceptionally close but not inappropriate. Daphne had reclaimed him for the rest of the evening where the worked over some nervous business wizards and witches, and stoked those fears ever so subtly. Daphne even made sure Harry thanked THEM for giving him advice to move out of Zurich, which he assured them that thanks to their convictions he would be doing, reversing the direction of the manipulations.

With Zurich progressing well, and Daphne now working with Draco to push it even further over the next few weeks, here he was, waiting for Ron and George to make the trip to Boston and their next hit. He trusted Ron on the plan, but it would take some luck, as always.

On cue, a charm let him know the floo was active. By the time Harry got inside, Ron and George had brushed themselves off.

"So, how were the States?" Harry asked as they greeted each other.

The two had been scoping out the location for weeks now and had assured Harry they were ready, and had gone over the plan with Ragnok's associates.

"Good, mate. This is going to be a fun trip, but you won't believe what Gringotts is like there," said Ron cheerfully. Harry already had his trunk shrunken and pocketed so they all moved in to touch their international portkey.

"Oh, really?" asked Harry just before their fingers touched the scarf being used for the process.

They were instantly flung through a dizzying myriad of colors and Harry felt like his stomach was ready to rebel. He didn't like wizarding travel in general, but international ones were something extra special.

Sure enough, he flopped to the ground when they landed. George and Ron both managed to stay on their feet but looked like they wanted to vomit.

"Arrival of 8:30 am from England," came a voice with a strong American accent. "Scarf please."

The wizard looked them over idly as they handed in the portkey, marking down their arrival and giving a swift brush of his wand over them before he shuffled out of the area.

"So, where are we?" Harry asked as the two started to lead them away from the arrival point.

"Oh, we landed by their airport, Logan I think it's called," said George. "They don't have a Knight Bus. The States are so big that their transport system is focused more on moving around the country rather than within cities. Potential market there, right Ron? Anyway, we'll take their Muggle system from here. We'll take their tube, um, subway system, Blue line straight down to Government Center. We can walk to Gringotts from there or change trains for one stop."

"That's why we all dressed Muggle for this," said Ron as they boarded a bus to the subway link. "Wizards here only wear robes for official functions, well, except the eccentric ones. You could wear anything downtown and only get a few weird looks. People might even just take photos."

"And that's the other thing," said George quietly so they weren't overheard. "You won't believe Gringotts here."

"You started to say that before. Why, is the security over the top? Should I be worried? Does it change the plan?"

George looked at Ron, who continued in a reassuring town that didn't match his words. "It's over the top same as everywhere else. Except here, the carts down to the tunnels and the vaults? They've made it a ride."

Harry chuckled. "It's always a ride, isn't it? One of my favorite parts."

"No, no," said Ron shaking his head. "I mean like it's open to Muggle who pay to get to do it. It's an amusement park ride. Only wizards and witches actually use it while others, including witches and wizards I guess, just go through a "tour" which is pitched as a fake theme park ride but is actually part of Gringotts."

Harry goggled for a few moments as they switched over and caught the Blue line just before it left. "That doesn't make sense. Boston doesn't have a theme park. Hermione's mentioned them, there's like loads in Florida, I know that, and California. But Boston?"

George laughed. "That's the trick. They have an underground Boston tour that visits part of the actual vaults too. And there is a ride in Florida that mimics part of it. But this one actually follows a track that takes you right into the vaults. Very hush hush, evidently, in terms of it being available to the mass public but its right here in the downtown section. Bit pricy for most Muggles, I understand, but nothing too hefty from the wizarding perspective."

Harry thought about that. "So are we taking this tour?"

George nodded. "Scheduled one for later today. Ron and I have already done it, but we booked one for us all to go through and then last planning for tomorrow."

Harry shook his head in acceptance. They took the subway to Government Place and then caught the Green line to Park Street and then headed up to the Boston Common. As they came out and turned around to see the Common, they saw the magical entryway, which was just the opposite side of the Park Street T-entrance.

Harry just laughed, "I love magic."

"What?" asked Ron.

"Hiding it in plain sight here, just like they do at King's Cross. Little bit nicer than a train station, actually, if a little less convenient."

"Sounds like the Yanks, eh?" joked George. "Put up a nice front, not always thought out?"

"Sounds like me," said Harry, which got his two friends to laugh so hard they had to catch up with him as he walked down the slope toward the flashing magical sign that said, "Witches and Wizards, Welcome to Inferno's Keep."

Harry ducked in as they got closer to read the fine print. "_Second home for the wizarding word in the U.S. after the Salem trials. Note that no inference is made toward any specific party as cause or course of this unfortunate incident, nor is any evidence or proof implied to be given for ownership liens or claims against any property in Salem or here in Inferno's Keep. Note that this disclaimer is considered adequate indemnity against any and all past, current, or future claims on the pains of banishment._"

He chuckled. "Americans."

He popped through the magical gate with its notice-me-not entry, although it almost wasn't needed. There was so much history in this square and so many books written about it that people were looking every which way.

Once through the gateway, a wide pathway suddenly spread out before them, heading right down the Common, lined with shops on both sides, and little side paths as well. It was unique, you had to give them that, as from the top of the hill you could see faintly the Muggle side of things as if through a shimmering haze. One pathway far down to the left led out of the shops to more substantial buildings, and in the middle of the Muggle block, Gringotts spread out expansively. Beside it was a large toy store; George pointed out this was where the Muggle caught the ride, and it was here they headed, instead of Gringotts itself. Getting back to the Muggle side was simple; while there were fewer entry points, they just push softly against the ward and popped out.

George pointed subtly before they exited, "Entire thing is covered with Notice-Me-Not; not sure how they manage to get it to tie together that firmly. It has to be at least ten different ones tied together somehow."

Ron shrugged in disinterest but Harry looked at it closely before moving on. That could come in handy. He waved his wand experimentally a few times to take a few readings.

They walked out and onto the toy store, browsing, and Harry did pick up some toys for Teddy before surreptitiously shrinking them before the tour. Everything from a stuffed bear he wanted to charm to rocks that changed color when you held them. A choking hazard, to be sure, but there were charms for that sort of thing, so hopefully Andromeda wouldn't get too mad. And frankly, Teddy really was beyond such concerns, but Harry had heard of boys shoving things up their nose for some reason…well, same charm ought to work for that, right?

At the appointed time, the three of them made their way to the back of the shop and then down some stairs where they were greeted, showed their passes, and were ushered down a nondescript hall where they joined a small group of others waiting in an antechamber. A couple, a small family, and a pair of businessmen. The entire lot looked Muggle, but then, so did Harry, Ron, and George, so that meant little. They were offered lockers, and George and Ron quickly stowed their gear, and Harry palmed his shrunken trunk and dropped it in too. He paused, thinking. Then with a quick hand sign, he had the two block him from view as he took it back out, unshrunk it, pulled out his cloak and broom, then reshrunk the trunk and tossed it in the locker, and locked it. Just in time.

Exactly on the dot, the back wall spun open, like the door to a great vault, exposing a series of three carts and one person standing in front of them. The man was shortish, balding and pudgy, but with a steel glare. Harry could feel as if the image was wrong, though; he suspected it was a goblin in disguise. They were wise about photographs evidently.

"Step into the carts, please. Four in the first, you four in the next, you three," he said pointing to Harry, Ron, and George and then the last cart, "in here."

Harry stepped in and across, followed by Ron the George. A lap bar fell down to keep them in place. Once everyone was seated, the "person" said, "Remain in your seats at all time, take off and stow any articles that may fall off like glasses. Stow any bags or other materials in the mesh bag in front of you. Anything that falls off during the ride is considered lost to you and on foreign property. We will not seek to retrieve it for you, so don't ask. If you feel sick, keep it in. There are 'airsick' bags on the seatbacks in front of you, though. A charge of twice the cost of the ride will be levied if we need to clean up a mess. There is no turning around or separating from your cart, so don't ask. If there are any questions,"

"Don't ask," whispered Ron chuckling, just as the guide said the same thing.

The guide jumped into an open seat on the front car and waved forward to a second man Harry hadn't really noticed before, standing in the corner. The taller blond pulled a lever and the three carts took off down the path.

A little speaker tucked into the padding in front of them started to keep a running explanation of when the caverns had been found, built, expanded upon, lit, rails built, and so on as they started sliding into the dim caverns. Torches lit it at long intervals so they moved from light to near complete darkness before the light of the next torch provided much help. Finally, the carts started to slow as a warm glow up ahead approached. As they came to the end of the extensive but relatively straight, deep descent, a long series of vaults appeared on both sides, with doors almost immediately beside each other. Tracks went off in seven different directions over the span of the long vault corridor.

"This is the first level," intoned the voice as they rolled slowly through, although if there was no one there or just a glamour to make it look like there was no activity, Harry couldn't tell in spite of his best efforts to peer through any illusions.

"We are roughly 50 meters underground here. This is where our lowest security vaults are. They are the smallest accounts, newest patrons, and lowest security measures are. Of course, that is relative. Not many people can manage to get down and back up 50 meters undetected, let alone while stealing."

The carts stopped and they were all invited to step out onto the platform.

"Do not touch a door, even by accident," said their guide strolling confidently down the platform. "There are all manner of traps, poisons, pitfalls, you name it."

An older lady asked, "You really let people do that? How does your insurance handle it?"

The guide gave a smile that convinced Harry it was a goblin in disguise. "Read the fine print more carefully, Mrs. Johnson. You'd rather walk away than argue the point, I assure you. You'd be lucky to, actually."

Harry suddenly got a bad feeling. It felt like the guard was saying that directly to him. The other families fretted and asked what it would take to be able to get a vault, but Harry held back and whispered to Ron as George blocked them from their guide.

"Getting a bad vibe, here, Ron. What's left?"

Ron whispered back, "Just one more stop, then back out. Everyone gets to see one of the deeper caves, and you can see flames and multiple caverns below. It is impressive. You sure it's bad? I mean, we left our gear in our lockers; be hard to explain that when we trip the Thieves' Downfall, but…"

Harry's voice was harsh but still quiet, "They take people through that?"

Ron nodded. "So, we don't have disguises."

"Ron, the Thieves' Downfall isn't just there to knock out disguises. Ragnok explained it to me in case we hit one. It opens up a wizard's aura, however briefly, so it can be read. You've been read here recently then. Not suspicious at all. You are only on record as part of the biggest Gringotts break-in and out of all time."

"But…" started Ron, but Harry cut him off quickly seeing their guide turning and coming back from the far end of their platform.

"Ron, it is about to record you on a MUGGLE visit, again. You, a wizard. Also not suspicious at all. I mean, you could only walk right in any time you want. And it is going to measure me. I may have been cleared, but likely under suspicion given the new robberies and public enemy or wizard non grata at the very least even if I wasn't."

"Oh, bugger," said Ron, paling.

George walked up, laughing with the Muggles he'd been talking to too loudly, in an effort to give cover. With one look, though, he said his goodbyes and they jumped into their cart. "What is it, Harry?"

"We're heading right into a trap. A big old, goblin designed trap."

Harry could bash his head into the cart right now. He'd expected to trip the Thieves Downfall on the visit tomorrow, with their gear, and just follow Ron's plan. Not alert the goblins in advance, and then do it again when they were unprepared but the goblins were ready!? A disaster! Half of Ron's plan was useless already. More. And who knew where the goblins would take them to stage the confrontation? No, he knew. Down, to their own beast pit, the secure caverns. To get roasted by dragons or whatever these goblins kept for security, or attacked, or even left to starve to death.

"Be ready to fight, and I mean go all out from the second I say," Harry whispered softly.

The two nodded, clenching hands over their wand holsters on their wrists. The guide waved his lamp for the ride to continue. "We will now be splitting up for the last section of the ride so you can each get the feel of going to your 'own' vault. Buckle up, because it will be a bumpy ride."

The guide gave a toothy grin and small salute to Harry's cart as he turned and led his own cart off. All three went off the edge and out to the side of a huge open pit cavern. Lights pockmarked the wall down and down as you could see where lower vaults were housed. The goblin rail wound down the wall in a counterclockwise spiral.

Their guide pulled his cart up at the second station. The next cart pulled up to the third and turned in. And then the cart that Harry, Ron, and George were in started to pick up speed, and suddenly all three were drenched in the Thieves' Downfall.

Above them, a klaxon alarm went off. Harry looked up to see flashes of light from where the other tours groups had been, and their carts started to move back up. The patrons were just knocked out likely; he was glad they wouldn't be collateral damage. Their own cart was already hurtling into the depths. The rails started to spark below them as the force of the cart pushing on them intensified. Below them, they could see fires begin to gout out of the caves and hear the bellows of a giant, and then a shriek that forced them to cover their ears.

"Banshees and dragons and giants. Oh my," quipped George, pulling out his wand and starting to conjuring piles of metal pellets the width of galleons. "Quick, make as many as you can, Harry. Ron, break down the cart in front of us into pellets about this size."

"Why can't I conjure?" asked Ron, already starting to do as George directed and shredding the cart.

"Because your conjuring doesn't last as long, now hurry up!"

"I got the conjuring George," said Harry picking up on the plan quickly, even as the centrifugal force stared to push them outward in the cart. He flicked a fast shield up to make sure everything would stay in the cart. "You make the earmuffs; you're the best for that."

"Right," said George and in moments they were all wearing earmuffs; George's in leopard print, Harry's with flashing lightning bolts, and Ron's with bunny ears sticking up from them. None too soon, and the banshee screams were escalating.

"Really?" said Ron in disgust as he donned them.

As the cart neared the bottom and the sounds and lights grew, Harry looked up to see the goblins detaching the cart rails further up, ensuring they had no easy way up. Damn. That was good in the sense that the goblins wouldn't attack right away. But that meant they waited in reserve. If they managed to escape or defeat the beasts in the deep caverns, they would have to fight their way up through rested goblin.

"Looks like they plan to make us permanent residents, then," said Harry to his friends, thinking. Under Boston…hmmm.

"Well, of course. The chance to collect two Weasleys and an honorary third is just too much for any one species to pass up," said George, puffing out his chest.

"Ron?" asked Harry. "What are we facing?"

"Hell," said Ron.

Harry conjured the strongest shield he could in front of them as the cart began to slow. All three turned to face the platform coming into view. The cart continued forward, but was met with a blast of dragon's fire. The Battle under Boston had begun.


	7. Chapter 7 - Under Boston

**AN: Some very good points from the early reviews for how the end of this chapter was a little too rushed and out of character. I hope these edits made the motivations and events more clear. Vukk, as usual you have a keen sense of these things; thank you. I hope you will keep reading awhile longer and that the story improves. To all, thanks for reading and ****reviewing. It helps immensely, and I appreciate your time and candor!**

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Chapter 7 – Under Boston

Ragnok sat uneasily, with a wide, long conference table separating him from Ripsnout. He'd never liked being on other goblins' turf, so he was already on high alert. And he particularly hated Ripsnout, the little sod. And he knew Ripsnout knew it, given that Ragnok had never seen a reason to hide it. Humans may not understand them, but goblins had their own codes of conduct and Ripsnout skirted or outright flouted them enough to be widely unliked by almost all of the other main branches. Supposedly, his own goblins like him, though. So the fact that Ripsnout had asked for this meeting put Ragnok on high alert.

It was a given Ragnok had his security detail, and he'd made sure it included family members from Cairo and Japan, just to give Ripsnout pause on any direct attack, however unlikely it was. No, this was likely political in some way, a different attack, not frontal. All of Ragnok's security party and all of Ripsnout's had been safely through the formal customs that indicated Ragnok would be safe here, as would his team. And all of them could safely observe from behind a clear wall, bit only Ragnok and Ripsnout were in the room and only they could hear one another.

The room was, Ragnok had to admit grudgingly, comfortably and appropriately ostentatious. Gold filigree and inlay was woven in delicate curls of deep redwood, mahogany, and mixed with yew wood. Built-in shelves displayed important goblin relics from across the ages, featuring the legendary Axe of Render which really should have been kept in Cairo. The Gringotts in the colonies, though, was young enough that it didn't have many of its own relics, though, and Ripsnout had gotten his claws on it somehow.

"So," said Ripsnout far too cavalierly as he waved a clawed hand almost completely covered in rings. "Welcome to Boston."

Ragnok showed his teeth. "Thank you. You are so generous to have invited us."

Invited was too kind of a word for it. A direct challenge, with a loss of face for not showing up was more like it. Ripsnout had breached etiquette at the last board meeting and suggested the troubles in Zurich were not isolated, and that one of the main branches was behind it. He'd then called on Ragnok as head to investigate, going overboard on just how much of a moral authority Ragnok was, all the time making it more and more clear how little Ripsnout himself thought of Ragnok's lead. The challenge was a clear and open one to all goblins, and practically charged Ragnok with either complicity or negligence, if not outright responsibility. And so Ragnok had carefully compiled a team who could keep their mouths shut, just in case Ripsnout had actually managed to unlock his plans with Potter.

"Aah," growled the other goblin. "So nice of you and **ALL** of your friends to join us." The goblin hissed the last "s" annoyingly.

The emphasis on the word all was far too conspicuous. Did he know about the newest attack from Potter? It should be coming in a day or two.

"My goblin family thanks you again for your hospitality. Now, about what you broached at the board meeting, Zurich's instability. You know the problems, or so you indicated."

"Yes," said Ripsnout, picking a finger rudely enough that Ragnok could see the outrage in the eyes of his entourage watching in. "Something you as leader SHOULD know, or maybe DID or DO know."

"Which is…?" asked Ragnok after waiting several long moments.

"You've made a deal with the devil, old goblin. And it's going to cost you everything. I'll be leader of the board by tomorrow. You can either walk away with a nice severance package or a nice severed package, your choice. Am I not magnanimous?"

Ragnok cursed inside. So the little rotter did know something. But how much? This was mostly smoke so far and hard to prove.

"And I'd do this why?" Ragnok asked, intent on giving nothing away.

"Because I have your agents trapped in my dungeons right now, and I will be killing two of them shortly. I can leave one alive to confirm your role, but only one. Humans are so fragile, though, don't you know. Maybe I should let two live. Decisions, decisions."

Ragnok sat, keeping an unperturbed countenance. "My agents? All my goblins are accounted for."

Ripsnout slapped the table, making it shake. "Your human agents. Don't think I can't put it together. You were too obvious at our meetings. You've been in your place after the London break-in, but recently you've been sitting up a little more, speaking up a little more, being challenged a little less. Guess who's shut up recently? Zurich, of course, and I thank you for tweaking that arrogant ass Splitspear, but who else hasn't challenged any idea you had lately? Japan, but that's typical. You married that one. But Paris? Bellringer's always had it out for you. Cairo? Tombdust has been silent as a mouse for a few weeks now. Seeing a trend? You are blackmailing or coercing almost half the banks already, somehow, that much is obvious. Just like that," he snapped his claws, "you have the voting block back. In just a few months from the debacle at your own bank. So I got to wondering how."

Ragnok polished a claw. "I have work to keep my position, something I've done since before you first latched onto your momma, you worm. That is called politicking."

"Or is it treason, when you are directing attacks on our own banks?"

He was glad he did not pale easily, but that was a bit too close to home. Still, hard to prove, so Ragnok remained stoic on the outside.

Ripsnout was beyond caring. "I just dug in the right spots, and just as your agents tried to dig into my bank! And so we are going to sit here until I bring one, maybe two of them here to confirm to you and all of my and your agents that you are guilty."

Ragnok waved a claw. "I don't have all day."

"WE WILL STAY HERE!" shouted Ripsnout, slamming a button under the table. An alarm started to go off and guards flew into the room. "Go, bring back whatever is left of them."

With a salute over their hearts, the guards rushed off.

##

Thousands of feet below, the battle was about to engage. Harry found that the battle reflexes he'd trained so hard for were still fresh. As the cart started around the last corner, he could see the scales on the legs of the dragon before anything else, and his mind charted best attack points automatically.

"Now!" he yelled. With a flick of his wand, the projectiles he and George had made exploded out of the cart and around the corner toward the dragon, which belched out a flame that blew past their cart and out into open air, incinerating the projectiles with it.

As the cart finished the turn and they faced the dragon directly. Harry didn't wait for the cart to come to a stop or even reach the platform. He was over the side and jumped, rolling as he hit the platform. As he came up, he spun his wand in a wide arc, spewing a torrent of water at the dragon. On the opposite side, George and Ron were out of the cart as well.

George threw a wheeze which combined with the water. Together they exploded into a thick, taffy-like substance which coated the dragon, making it disappear from view. While it was, the trio were an explosion of action. George pulled out a handful of wheezes and began flicking them into the corners of the area and taffy. When all were there, he flicked his wand one more time, and the entire thing sizzled with electricity.

"Electrical wall up! That might help for all of 2 seconds!"

Ron had been surveying the area, and began digging a hole under the train rails. "We're going to need a place to hide when it breaks through. A compulsion charm to ignore this should buy us some more time."

Harry meanwhile ripped apart the cart, transforming the bits into a golem army. "Not much time left! These will only last a second against it too. Ron, tell us when that hole is big enough!"

The taffy exploded out, hitting the electrical wall. It popped and crackled so loudly Harry's eardrums shook painfully, but it held. Behind the ripples they could see the dragon, still shaking itself clear of the taffy. In moments it would reorient, and actually be angry.

George ripped up a part of the platform and hastily etched a rune on the heavy stone. "We'll place this over top of us. Charlie taught me this one; it should cover us long enough to dig to another spot."

"Now!" yelled Ron.

Harry animated his golem army, and flicked his wand so that some were on the walls and ceiling, some ready to attack and others to flee from the dragon at all angles. That should keep it busy chasing shadows and give it a focus other than them for a long time.

George jumped into the hole in the platform, rapidly swishing his wand to start burrowing down and away from the entryway. Ron followed, and Harry was right behind him, just as the dragon started forward and launched a blast that hit the electrical wall. In moments, it had shorted it out and the flames burst through. They hit with power and fury, the heat incinerating the golems that hadn't already turned and fled and the strength of the wave ripped and blew the remaining rails for the cart out of the chamber as well. By then, though, Harry had flipped George's rune on top of them, entombing them in darkness. He then cast a compulsion charm to ignore the area on top of it, although dragons were notoriously impervious to mind magics.

The silence was shocking. "Good job, you two. We needed every one of those seconds to get out of there."

George puffed from down the small corridor he had made, "Well, now we just need to find a way out before it gets done chasing your army and comes back to realize something is wrong with its hall. That rune can distract and confuse, but when there is nothing else for it to do? It will find it."

Harry started strengthening the walls behind them, transforming them into hardened concrete with rebar, and then granite.

Ron, between them, thought carefully. "The maps on this level were incomplete. We couldn't find any specific vault users from this level to talk with, but we did find some old diaries that discussed protections. Ragnok's maps helped too. If we go due east, we go out under the ocean. Not helpful. North gets us to the river if we're not careful. If we go west, we stay in Gringotts a lot longer, so I think we should aim south."

George kept disappearing rock and stone and dirt as he asked, "And which way am I going?"

"East," said Ron after he did a quick check with his wand.

"Dammit. That means south is digging right under that dragon. It's going to notice."

"Go west," said Ron. "Second best."

"Where does it take us out?" asked Harry, as he started using a boring spell rather than vanishing the material. "If the dragon finds the tunnel and breathes one blast in here, we're dead. We need out fast."

Ron nodded, thinking, "The banshee tunnel."

"George?" asked Harry over his spell, already starting to sweat from the exertion, but they were moving quickly now.

"On it," he said, sifting through his wheezes.

"Ron?"

Behind him, Harry's friend tapped him on the shoulder. "Take a break, Harry. Let me take over for a bit. We all need to be as rested as we can, although the banshee is more strategy than brute force like the dragon."

"Which is why I was asking you," Harry panted, happy for the reprieve as Ron slid by him and continued making their way due west.

"We block our ears and hammer it. Banshees don't have the strongest physical attack."

"And after it?"

Ron shrugged, still boring. "We see if the goblins send forces to us or leave it for us to have to come out of our hole. I suspect we will get a bit of a break."

They continued in silence for several moments, but the tunnel was getting warmer and warmer. The boring spell expended heat, after all. Finally, though, Ron paused, his shirt now soaked through too. "Ok, that was 300 paces. We should be under the banshee chamber."

George patted them both on the back and then shoved something forward. "Put these in your ears."

Their transfigured earmuffs from before having disappeared, Harry happily shoved the waxy substance in his ears, and all sound disappeared. Deciding to take not chance, he cast a spell to dull his hearing senses as well, something he had learned to cast when Ron and Hermione got going in one of the arguments and at some parts of the Weasley family gatherings.

George stepped to the front, and drilled a hole at an angle, allowing them to walk up and out. As soon as it opened into the air, though, a wave of air blew them backwards, sending them sprawling into a pile in the tunnel. Laying there, they could see a pale light at the other end of the tunnel, starting to grow. The dragon had found them.

"Out!" yelled Harry, and the three pushed against the wind from the banshee and flung themselves out and away from the hole.

Through some freak of luck, the flame from the dragon burst out through the hole they had dug, and slammed straight into the banshee that was hovering above the hole to attack them. With a final screech, the banshee disintegrated, with little wafts of her remains floating off.

"Well," said Harry, forgetting or not caring that no one could hear him, "That is a surprise."

He pulled the wax out of his ears, and turned to the hole, which still spouted steam and small tongues of flame where the detritus of the tunnel had caught fire. He levitated a block from the platform over to cover it, and it settled with a satisfying squelch. Another charm, and it was sealed without any gaps.

Harry stood and looked around, joined by Ron and George who gave each other a quick high five as they chuckled in relief. The platform looked like the other, although Harry could admit he hadn't spent a lot of time looking at it. It was a long, thin, narrow opening with vaults spaced every fifty feet or so. At the far end, just barely visible, the tunnel dead-ended. Turning the other way, the tunnel opened out into the large main chamber, one of three old openings, apparently. One with a dragon, one with a banshee, and one with a giant. And now, they were stuck in the middle one.

They walked to the main opening, slowly. As it opened up before them, they could look up at the torches lining the cart path and vaults that dotted the wall. Above, in the shadows, flashes of light bounced down, glinting off goblin armor. The three stepped back out of sight before the goblins above noticed them.

Harry couldn't help but vocalize the situation. "So, we're stuck between a giant and a dragon, with goblins waiting for us if we win."

Ron nodded, thinking.

George dug through his pockets. "I don't have much more, guys. I left most of my good stuff in the room for tomorrow."

Harry turned to his old friend. "What do we know, Ron?"

"Well, that dragon is a Horntail, we all know it. Charlie told us it takes at least eight handlers to take one down. Now, you are well above normal power, Harry, but those are trained handlers with specialized spells. So I think direct frontal is out."

Harry nodded. He'd been face to face with enough dragons for a few lifetimes now. This was not an old and blind one, but a Horntail in its prime. How the goblins had managed that was a mystery. He looked over toward the dragon chamber, the entry of which could be barely seen from their position. Nothing was coming from it yet; so far, so good.

Ron continued, "As for the other way, even if we did manage to get past the giant alone, which normally takes five full wizards, we'd just be deeper in the dungeons. So there's no real benefit to going that way. Am I boring you, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, turning from his observation of the large main chamber. "Boring? No. There are still some of my golems climbing the wall out there. They are out of dragon sight now, but soon he'll be able to see them, and if he can get out of that chamber, he can and will get into this one. If we could get the dragon on the ground, in this tunnel, I think I could finish it…"

"Then why didn't you use it, before?!" Ron roared incredulously.

"It's a one off spell, Ron. The power it takes would leave me completely useless afterward. So it's a last resort kind of thing. Because if I try it and it doesn't work...but we aren't safe here. So we can try to fight our way, which is likely death, we can 'flee' toward the giant, and fight to the death. But I like your boring idea."

Ron looked around. "Huh? Uh, no, Harry, you couldn't be thinking…"

Harry nodded, with a crazed grin. "Yeah. Also a one off, so I'll be completely dependent on you two once I do it."

Ron shook his head. "That's even crazier than the last time we broke into Gringotts."

George, though, nodded. "Do it. It will take all of them out. Serves 'em right!"

Ron raised his hand, drawing a quick chuckle from Harry. "Yes, Hermione?"

"Um, how do we get out, then?"

Harry chuckled more as he started leading the other two back down the tunnel, picking up speed as they jogged down the way. "That is the job for a master prankster and a strategist. I'm just the muscle. I figure you have about one minute to figure it out before I make the first break through. About a minute and a half after I start before we're dead if we sit here."

"And we may not have much more than that," said George, pointing back down the tunnel, which stretched into darkness behind them, but was now pinpointed by long blasts of light. "The dragon is out. Harry, you need to start now. I'll be down the hall trying to obscure us and buy you that extra half minute, Ron. I'll be back in exactly a minute, and I'll be ready to enact whatever you say, so make it good."

"Luck, George," called Harry as he did a quick point me for the harbor. Satisfied, he then waved his wand in front of him, taking a two-handed grip. He pointed his wand directly at the harbor and unleashed a blast which shook the foundations of Gringotts as it started cutting a swath to the Boston Harbor, ready to unleash all of it into the bowels of Gringotts.

"Luck Ron!" called George as he ran off.

"I never agreed to any of this," though Ron morosely as he realized all three of their lives we now very directly in his hands…

The splinters in the wall and ceiling above them started in forty-five seconds, and George was back within seconds, looking at Ron with wild eyes.

"Here's the plan," he yelled loudly enough so Harry could hear too.

Harry nodded, his entire body drenched in sweat now. "Make it quick! I can't hold this much longer!" he grunted out, his forearms starting to shake.

At the other end of the hall, a loud thump that resonated throughout the chamber indicated the dragon had arrived. As it did, though, Harry broke through. At first a trickle of water started, sloshing down around their feet and creating a rivulet down the chamber. Within mere moments it was a gush, and Ron and George quickly grabbed Harry as he fell to the ground, passed out from exhaustion. They dragged him out of the path of the water, which suddenly roiled down and shot into the chamber like the bottom of a sluice dam, pouring straight toward the dragon.

"I'll be next to him!" Ron shouted to George. "Help me get him up there!"

George nodded. "I'll be right beside you! We won't be able to see so hold his hand! Leave your other free for me, and we'll swim up together!"

They used the taffy wheeze, and locked Harry into place, and then Ron, who cast a bubblehead charm over both of them.

"Remember," he yelled at George, "as soon as the water stops rushing by, we have to use a _leviosa_ to push ourselves out and up. Swimming will burn up our oxygen too fast. Bubbleheads only usually keep for an hour or so. Keep wands unlit until we're out so they don't see anything; let them assume we're dead."

"Think we'll have enough air?" asked George.

Ron shrugged, as the water roared by in a torrent now. It pummeled the dragon, which flew off. The water shot out into the main chamber, and started the slow process of filling it up. George fastened himself to the wall, and cast a bubblehead as well, and grabbed Ron's hand, barely managing to force both otf them, against the pressure of the water, back and up against the taffy. It was a special creation; he harder the water pushed, the harder the taffy would hold. Once the pressure on it eased off, though, thy should be able to ease out. Of course, dragon-sized pressure before showed there were limits to its power.

The tunnel was full of water, but stayed below the level of their heads. The splashing and sloshing of it as each water particle fought to get through to the main chamber first extinguished all the lights, and the sound made talking impossible; it would be even worse once they were covered by water. The water itself wouldn't start to fill completely until the outer chamber reached this level. It seemed like forever, but in only a matter of minutes, the tunnel was full and silent under the oppressive weight of the water. Now they sat alone in the pitch darkness. Ron gauged the process, and figured the main chamber would be full within an hour, sooner if the hole weakened and widened, letting in more water faster. Which meant they should just have enough oxygen. He didn't like the odds.

Perhaps Ron's extensive divination finally paid off. It was only half an hour later, his bubblehead still holding, when he felt a rumbling in the rocks behind them. Harry's hand hadn't twitched, but it remained warm, so his friend was still just out from the exhaustion, but he'd clearly done a bang up job. George on his other side stayed warm to, but wriggled his hand every so often. Ron squeezed his brother's hand in support. But then the rumbles grew stronger, and Ron felt like he was being bounced or that the wall was shaking. And then, with a last 'CRACK' that could be heard reverberating through the chamber, Harry's hand was ripped from his own.

Frantic, Ron tried reaching over to where Harry had been, but the current took his arm, nearly separating his shoulder. He pulled his arm in close, desperate to find his best friend. He slid his hand across the wall, inching it along the taffy to resist the pressure of the water. All he felt, though, was a short distance until the wall was gone. The pressure from the rock had started to erode the walls of Gringotts. As it had it had, a chunk of the wall had snapped off and taken his friend!

He started thrashing with a berserk energy, tears falling as he pulled his wand and cast the most powerful _lumos_ he could, but in the inky black underwater, he could only see a few meters. George kept a tight grip on his hand, struggling to keep Ron where he was. They fought and tugged, pushing and pulling as the water continued to flash by them. Both were exhausted and yelling at each other, although neither could hear anything but the water. As they did, they used up their own oxygen perilously fast. Eventually, the water level balanced and water from the hole stopped surging in. The taffy began to have some give, and Ron moved away from the wall, starting to swim toward the main chamber, wriggling from side to side waving his wand, looking for any sign of broken rocks or Harry, checking to make sure nothing caught on a column or settled in a vault door, but the current seemed to have swept the chamber clean.

George, though had other thoughts. As bad as it was to lose Harry, for that is what had to have sent Ron over the edge and Ron's _lumos_ confirmed it, going to chase him would more than likely result in their own deaths. He knew his family thought he had a death wish ever since Fred had died, but the thought of losing another brother was too impossible to fathom. Himself? Maybe. But he couldn't let that happen to Ron! So swimming for the main chamber to possibly find Harry, maybe find his likely dead body but probably search in vain, seemed like an incredibly bad idea and not the best solution. Besides which, it was huge with loads of nooks and crannies. The odds were immensely against them. And then what happened next? Whether they found Harry or not, if they swam up for air, the goblins wouldn't kill them now. Oh, no; they would torture them for decades for destroying their bank! Of course, that was if the dragon and giant hadn't survived and were floating or flying at the top of the main chamber, the last bit of which was above sea level. And there was no way they could hope to go out to the chamber, find Harry, come back to the right tunnel, and still get to the surface with any oxygen left! Impossible!

Tears streaming down his own face, George kept his desperate struggle with Ron. He wanted to stun him, but if he did it was very possible both Ron and then Harry's bubblehead charms would fail, and then Harry would lose any chance, however remote, that he had. No, the best they could do was to get out and hope Harry's improbable run of horrible luck continued true; everything bad happened to him but he came out alive somehow. That was all George could hope for now. If they got out, they could contact Ragnok. As lead goblin he could be there almost instantly and search for Harry. As terrible as that sounded, that was their best hope.

With a quick _bodybind_, he had Ron trussed and no longer struggling, although he knew Ron was going to be furious with him. In fact, even in the dark he could feel Ron's body vibrate with rage and desperation. George knew that feeling better than anyone, with the loss of Fred he'd felt the same. Out of options and running out of air, George pushed Ron above him toward the hole Harry had created. The fight wasn't gone out or Ron yet, though, and the _bodybind_ weakened quickly; George hit him with a _leviosa_ and sent Ron rushing up to the harbor. George knew he still had to act fast; they weren't out of the woods yet. Ron would kill himself trying to hold Harry's bubblehead as well as his own for as long as he could. George had to have him out of the water before that happened or he could lose both his real and honorary brothers. With a surge of energy, he hit himself with a _leviosa_ and shot up the pipe, cursing the goblins with tears in his eyes as he did and thinking of the fastest way to contact Ragnok, leaving Harry somewhere behind in the dark…


End file.
